Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version
by Babylon Sky Hawk
Summary: Sonic and his friends have always dreamed of seeing other worlds. Now he has a chance when the heartless attack. Keyblade has chosen him and now he must save the worlds and his friends as well.
1. Cast List

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Like many people before me, I have decided to create my own version of Kingdom Hearts. I have decided to use the cast from Sonic the Hedgehog and mix it up with characters from different games, anime, cartoon, etc. Down below is the cast list of characters you will see as the story progresses. And if you are confused on the details of my OC's, check my previous stories to find out more about them.

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**Cast list**

Sora- Sonic the Hedgehog (obviously)

Kairi- Amy Rose

Riku- Espio the Chameleon (I was thinking of Shadow, but decided to use him as Roxas)

Donald- Silver the Hedgehog

Goofy- Storm the Albatross

Mickey- Jet the Hawk

Leon- Metal Sonic

Yuffie- Cream the Rabbit (Couldn't think of anybody else. And no, I am saving Rouge for later)

Aerith- Tikal the Echidna

Cloud- Chaos

Sephiroth- Violet (My OC)

Cid- Omega

Chip and Dale- Charmy and Vector

Minnie- Wave the Swallow

Daisy- Blaze the Cat

Merlin- Shahra the Ring Genie

Ansem- Mephiles the Dark

Maleficent- Black Doom

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**You have seen the cast, now it's your turn to decide. Do you think I should start or leave this in the dust. You control the fate of this fic. Choose well.**


	2. The Awakening

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter One: The Awakening

Since the beginning of time, all of us have wonder, what truly lies beyond the skies. Are there other places that existed besides our own? No one has ever truly discovered the secrets of the other worlds...until now. A boy of 15 years was gracefully falling under the water. But this boy was not human. The boy was actually a blue hedgehog with six contoured quills in the back of his head and two arching spines on his back. He wore nothing but white gloves with red and white striped shoes. As he floated down, he looked up to whatever glimmer of light he could find.

"I've been having these weird thoughts lately" the hedgehog spoke to himself. "Is any of this real or not?"

He sunk deeper in the water until his eyes fully opened. He was no longer in the water, but on a beautiful tropical island and stood at the sand of the beach. The island held large palm trees with a small wooden shed and a miniature waterfall come from the high cliff. His attention turned to the ocean when he caught the sight of another creature. It was a purple chameleon with a yellow horn between his eyes and black spikes lined down his back. The chameleon wore white gloves with black cuffs with white bandages, violet shoes with black straps and cuffs with bandages above them.

The chameleon simply looked out to the ocean, wondering what's out there, as a large tidal wave rose up from the water. The chameleon looked back to the blue hedgehog and held out his hand him. The blue hedgehog quickly tried to reach out for him before the tidal wave crashed upon both of them. The hedgehog was sent spiraling back as the chameleon floated away with his hand still held out for him to accept. The hedgehog tried to reach for the chameleon, but the pressure of the water pushed him only farther away and out of sight of the chameleon.

His body slowly floated to the surface and greatly jumped out of the water, gasping for air. As he looked at his surroundings, he noticed that the sun was about to set and looked to the island to find a young girl waving to him. The hedgehog cheerfully waved back and trudged through the water towards her. The girl was a pink hedgehog with three curved bangs sticking from her forehead. She wore a long red dress, a red hair band, red and white striped boots, and white gloves with golden ring bracelets. The girl giggled at the hedgehogs earlier antics before turning her attention to the sky. Curios, the hedgehog also looked up to gaze at a random meteor shower, but with a falling figure headed towards them. To the hedgehog's shock, he saw that the figure was himself, unconscious. Suddenly, the hedgehog fell back and passed through the water and everything vanished.

He floated slowly down the water until he landed on, what felt like, solid ground. His curiosity got the best of him and stepped forward into the darkness. Then, a flash of light blinded him temporarily and hundreds of beautiful doves flew around him. His eyes followed the graceful birds as they disappeared into the darkness. He looked down and noticed that he was standing on a circular platform with a girl with mid-length pink hair bangs wearing blue jeans, a red shirt, and a sleeveless white jacket.

"So much to do..." a mysterious voice called.

"W-who's there?" the hedgehog asked nervously as he gazed to the darkness. He couldn't find to source of the voice, which only made him worry more.

"...So little time." The voice continued.

"Hey, what's going on?" the hedgehog asked.

"The door is still shut. Do you think you are ready?" the voice asked.

"Ready for what?" the hedgehog asked.

His answer came in the form of a small ray of light that shined through the darkness. He had no idea what was going on. Was he dreaming or not? He knew there was only one way to find out. He sucked up as much bravery as he could conjure up and stepped forward into the light.

"Don't be afraid. The door is still shut. Are you ready?" The voice asked again.

"I think so." The hedgehog answered bravely to the darkness.

All of a sudden, three flashes of light appeared at three sides around him. When the light disappeared, they were replaced by three pedestals, each with a different weapon. One held a broad sword, another held a long staff, and the final one held a large blue shield. Questions arose in his mind as he looked to the darkened sky for answers.

"The power that sleeps with in you. It will give you form, choose your path and your destiny will become clear." The voice explained.

"I have to choose between them? And what's this about destiny?" The hedgehog asked the sky. Regrettably, he received no reply. "Some help you are."

Not know which to choose from, the hedgehog jumped up to the pedestal with the sword, figuring it was the most powerful of the three. He held the blade to the sky as a sign that he has made his choice. The voice then cam back.

"The power of the warrior. Invincible courage. A blade of great destruction. Is this the path you choose?" the voice asked.

The hedgehog hesitated. The courage was a positive, but he didn't fell to proud of the destruction this blade might bring him. He thought about it for a while before answering "Yes."

The sword evaporated in a ray of light into his hand as the voice returned once again.

"Your path is set." The voce informed. "But to choose this path, you must surrender another."

"What? You mean I have to give up a weapon? "The hedgehog groaned. "Well, I guess the staff would be any use to me."

The hedgehog jumped down from the pedestal and made his way to the other side of the platform. He jumped up to the other platform and raised the staff to the sky as a sign that he had decided. The voice returned.

"Power of the mystic. Inner strength. Staff of wonder and ruin. Will you surrender this path?" the voice asked.

"I guess so." The hedgehog shrugged.

Like the sword before it, the staff evaporated in his hands and disappeared. The hedgehog was getting irritated at this point. Who was this voice and what was the whole point of going through all this?

"You have chosen the path of the warrior. You have surrendered the path of the mystic. Is this the path you choose?" the voice asked.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Now start talking. What's going on here?" the hedgehog questioned.

But instead of an answer, the pedestals collapsed into the platform as the floor began to shatter. With nowhere to go, the hedgehog fell into the endless darkness. Gravity was in total control and the hedgehog had nowhere to go. He continued to fall into the endless abyss until caught sight of another platform below him. The platform was different from the last one, only different. The picture was of a blond woman wearing a white and purple dress with white gloves and a golden floral crown. The one feature that stood out was the golden triangle on her left glove. The hedgehog landed safely as the sword appeared in his hand.

"Ok, this is getting too weird." The hedgehog said.

"You have gained the power to fight. Use that power to defend yourself and others from them." The voice said cautiously.

"Them? Who's them?" the hedgehog asked in a confused manner.

All of a sudden, a dark creature made itself present as it appeared from the shadows. The creature seemed small and held to antennas with two large yellow eyes. It looked intently at the shaken hedgehog and made a surprising jump at him. Without thinking, the hedgehog lifted the sword and swung it around. The quick slash cut the small creature in half and disappeared into the darkness once more.

"What in the world was that?!" the hedgehog screamed.

"Behind you!" the voice yelled.

The hedgehog quickly looked back and jumped away just in time to avoid being hit by another shadow creature. The creature was not alone. Two more creatures appeared alongside it and charged their way to the hedgehog. Gathering up as much courage as he could, the hedgehog swung his sword around to swat the three creatures away. The one that fell nearby rebound off the floor and bounced back at the hedgehog's feet. Acting fast, the hedgehog swung his sword downward and was lucky enough to slice the creature down the middle.

The hedgehog figured he had won until another shadow creature jumped up and rammed him in his back to knock him to the floor. The creature made another attempt to attack, but the hedgehog quickly retaliated by swing his sword around and sliced the creature in half. Now only one remained, but this one made no attempt to attack. Instead, the creature evaporated into the floor, spreading its darkness all across the platform. The hedgehog felt himself being pulled into the darkness and struggled to break free from its binds. But every attempt he made proved useless as he was pulled under. The hedgehog tossed and turned within the darkness, trying to break free. He soon stopped when he felt himself landing on a solid piece of ground.

He opened his eyes to find that he was no longer in the dark world, but on the wooden platform of his island home. Around him were his friends from his home. One was a hedgehog with arching quills on his back, and six quills on his head that curved downwards and wore black shoes with two white straps going across them, steel ring bracelets on his wrists, and white gloves with two different black kanji symbols on them. Another was a grey wolf with black marks over his eyes and wore a black, sleeveless gi with a grey belt, and black sandals. The last was small white butterfly with ocean blue wings that wore a simple red shirt, light blue jacket, red shorts, and a pair of red sneakers.

"Thank god, that's over." The hedgehog sighed in relief.

"Hold on, the door's not open yet." The voice came back. The hedgehog slapped himself. "First, tell me about yourself."

Wondering if he was still dream, the blue hedgehog walked over to greet the butterfly.

"Hey, Raine, what's up?" The hedgehog said.

"What is most important to you?" Raine asked.

"Huh?" the hedgehog questioned.

"What is most important to you." Raine repeated.

"Uh...my friends, I guess." The hedgehog answered.

"Is friendship really a big deal?" Raine asked.

"O-k." The hedgehog said awkwardly as he moved away to approach the wolf.

Hey, Howl. What's up with Raine? She's acting weird." The hedgehog commented.

"What do you want out of life?" Howl asked.

"Not you too." The hedgehog groaned. "I guess...to be strong."

"To be strong, huh?" Howl asked.

The hedgehog made his way to the final person and decided to just go along with it.

"Hey, Recter." The hedgehog greeted.

"Hey, what are you afraid of?" Recter asked.

"Getting old." The hedgehog answered simply.

"Getting old? Is that really so scary?" Recter asked.

"You want friendship. You want to be strong. You're afraid of getting old." The voice replayed his decisions. "Your adventure begins at midday. Keep a steady path and you'll come through."

"Sounds good to me." the hedgehog said.

"The day you open the door is both far and near." The voice said.

A flash of light fills the area and once again blinds the hedgehog. When his vision became clear, he found himself standing on another platform like the ones before. This time, the picture was of a female dragon with pink scales, a tan underbelly, two small yellow horns, bright purple wings and spikes down its back and wore a heart shaped locket around its neck. As the hedgehog stepped forward, he found himself once again surrounded by a swarm of black creatures.

"Here we go again." The hedgehog said as he draw him sword out once more.

The creatures charged one after another, making it easier for the hedgehog to fight. The hedgehog slashed the first one and kicked the next one to another shadow creature. Two creatures jumped simultaneously at the hedgehog, which easily counteracted by slashing them in the air. The last creature charged at the hedgehog from behind, but he simply swung his sword back to lop the creatures head off with out turning his back. With all the creatures defeated, a stairway made of colorful stained glass formed a path way to another platform.

"Follow these stairs and discover your destiny." The voice said.

"Ok, but when I'm gonna, I am so gonna kick your butt." The hedgehog sated as he made his way up the makeshift stairway.

As he reached the top of the platform, he found a portrait of another female he didn't know. The girl had short, pink hair and an unusually wide forehead. She wore a red sleeveless zip-up shirt, black shorts with tan flaps around them, black boots and gloves, and a red headband in her hair.

"The closer you get to the light, the greater your shadow becomes." The voice informed.

The hedgehog looked down at his shadow and noted that it was three times bigger then usual. Then, to his eternal wonderment and surprise, the shadow began to move on its own and grew into a gigantic shadow creature.

"Don't be afraid...don't ever forget..." the voice whispered and slowly disappeared.

The hedgehog slowly walked backwards to the stained glass pathway, only to find that it had disappeared. His attention returned to his shadow as its transformation became complete. It was easily over thirty feet tall and had tentacles that wrapped around its entire face. Its most notably features were its heart shaped cutout and it humongous yellow eyes. Those eyes...they were so empty and cold. They sent shivers down the hedgehog's spine.

"Well, seeing as I'm not going anywhere, might as well stay and fight." the hedgehog said as he once again summoned the sword into his hand.

The hedgehog charged at the monstrous creature, only to be thrown back by the shockwaves of its fist landing on the ground. The hedgehog rubbed his aching head and returned his attention to the creature as it got down to it knees.

"Is he giving up?" the hedgehog question.

Oh, how wrong he was. The monster then shot out white balls of energy from its empty heart and aimed them directly at the hedgehog. The hedgehog rolled away to dodge the attack, but was greeted by a second ball that the monster shot out. The hedgehog was knocked to the ground and his weapon disappeared from sight. He turned back as the monster got to its knees and loomed over its prey. A wave of darkness escaped from the monsters hands and entangled around the poor hedgehog. It was a true nightmare. Every fear passed through the hedgehog's mind as the darkness slowly consumed his body. He struggled to break free, but with no success. He soon realized what was happening. He was dying.

"Don't be afraid..." The voice returned in his final hour. "Your hold the mightiest weapon of all...so never forget...

The hedgehog tried to keep his head above the darkness, trying to listen to what the voice might have to say. "What was it that he forgotten? It was over. He could not move. He could not see. He could not breathe. Just as the darkness made its final strike, the voice offered its final words through the darkness.

"Only you can open the door...Sonic" The voice echoed and he died.

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**This is the first chapter for my new story and I personally like it. For those who have known way before this, you may have noticed my writing style has change. What do you think? Is it good? Is it bad? Tell me.**

**Please, read and review.**


	3. Destiny Island, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter Two: Destiny Island, Part 1

The hedgehog's shot up in fear and started to sweat from fright. He was alive. It was all just a dream. He was back home on his beautiful island home. The waves were lapping against the sand, the seagulls were calmly flying overhead, and the sun shined brightly against his furry face. It was the true picture of peace.

"That's the last time I eat chilidogs before taking a nap." The hedgehog yawned and fell back into the sand. He lied back on the sand, only to shoot straight back up as the pink hedgehog from his dream loomed over him. "Come on. Give me a break for once, Amy."

"Sonic, you lazy bum. I knew I would find you snoozing off somewhere." Amy giggled.

"No way! I wasn't sleeping!" Sonic protested. "I was in some weird place. It was so dark and the huge, black thing tried to kill me. I couldn't move, I couldn't breathe, I couldn't-OW!"

Sonic rubbed his sore head at the spot where Amy slapped him.

"Are you still dreaming?" Amy smirked.

"It wasn't a dream!" Sonic said but slowly started to think otherwise. "Or was it? I don't know anymore. Just what was that place? It was so weird."

"Whatever you say." Amy said sarcastically, giggling at Sonic's strange dreams.

"Hey, Amy, what was your home like. You know, the place where you grew up?" Sonic asked for the hundredth time.

"Sonic, I already told you, I don't remember." Amy said with a bit of uncertainty in her voice.

"Nothing at all?" Sonic asked.

"Nothing."

"Do you ever want to go back?" Sonic asked.

"Well, I'm happy here." Amy said with confidence this time.

"Really?" Sonic asked, slightly disappointed.

"But you know, I wouldn't mind going to see it for once." Amy smiled.

"I would to!" Sonic said excitingly. "Along with any other worlds that exist out there! I want to be the first person in history to see them all!

"So then what are we waiting for? Let's hurry up and finish the raft."

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to be forgetting some one would you?" the two hedgehogs turned to see the purple chameleon with a log on his shoulders. "Do you know how long I have been searching for you?"

"Yeah. Sorry, Espio." Sonic chuckled.

"How pitiful." Espio said. "You two goof off all day while I do all the grunt work." He threw the log to the side, which landed on Sonic's head. "You're just as lazy as he is, Amy."

"So you've noticed." Amy giggled. "All right then, let's finish the raft together. I'll race you."

"What?" Sonic asked questioningly.

"Are you kidding?" Espio said, not taking her seriously.

"Ready...GO!"

Sonic and Espio shot a quick glance to each other before jumping up and running down the beach. The three laughed as the raced each other down the beach. But unknown to them, two separate figures stood at different sides of the island, watching intently at the young anthro's. One wore a long brown robe and the other wore a dark coat with a silver chain around its neck.

"Your time will soon come, master of the key." the two unknowingly said together and vanished.

---Destiny Islands---

Later, Sonic met up with Amy near wooden shed.

"Sonic, since you were so lazy, it's your job to get all the equipment we need to finish the raft." Amy said while shoving a list in his hands.

"Oh, fine." Sonic unwillingly agreed.

Sonic walked away and looked at the list he had been given. The first item on the list was a couple of logs that he could easily find around the island.

"Hey, Sonic." Sonic turned around to see the red fighter hedgehog, Recter, run up to him.

"Hey, Rec. What's up?" Sonic greeted his friend.

"Nothing much. Just want to spar a little." Recter said as he cracked his fist.

"You know I would like to, but I have to take care of something for Amy." Sonic said disappointingly.

"I'm sure you could spare a few minute, right?" Recter asked.

"Sure, why not?!" Sonic cheered.

"That's the spirit!" Recter shouted.

Sonic pulled out his wooden, makeshift sword just and rolled to the side as Recter attempt to punch him. Sonic easily dodged Recter's fist and swung his sword at the back of his head.

"Lucky shot!" Recter claimed.

The red hedgehog jumped into the air and brought his fist down. Sonic's reflexes helped as he swung around his sword to knock away the fist and leave a direct opening for him to attack. Taking his chance, Sonic swung around once again and slammed his wooden sword into the side of Recter's face. Recter groaned and rubbed his face as he slowly sat up.

"Ok, I think we should stop now." Recter said. "Looks like you're no longer that little brat I used to shove into the sand anymore." He chuckled

"Yeah. Still not over that." Sonic scowled.

"Whatever. See ya, man." Recter waved goodbye and left.

Sonic had collected a few logs and was now climbing a series of ladders to a small room. The room used to be an old tree house that they would stay in when they wanted to sleepover on the island and watch the stars. They had not been used this place for years now. Sonic walked over to the wall and pulled of the old white sheet that clung to it.

"Look's like I finally found a use for this old thing." Sonic said.

Sonic slide down the ladders and surprising fell down in from of Raine.

"Hey, Raine, what's up?" Sonic asked.

"Nothing. Just think about the legend of the paopu fruit." Raine said curiously.

"Legend? What legend?" Sonic asked.

"They say when two people share the paopu fruit, their hearts stay connected forever. You know, I bet Amy would mind sharing one, Sonic" Raine teased.

It was no secret that Sonic liked Amy, except for Amy herself. Every time he had a chance, he would sneak peeks at her, just to catch a small glimpse of her fabulous beauty. They had always been together and Sonic thought nothing would tear them apart.

"I uh...gotta go. Amy's a waiting." Sonic said before zipped away at twice his normal pace.

Sonic climbed the ladder to the high wooden deck they built as a look out to find the next item on his list. Just as he thought, he found the rope lying on the deck across form with Howl sitting next to it, meditating as usual.

"What are you up to this time, Sonic?" the grey wolf asked with his eyes still closed.

"Hey, Howl. Nothing much. Just need to burrow that rope." Sonic said as he made a grab for the rope. But Howl grabbed his arm before he could reach it.

"You don't think I'm going to let you off that easily. First, you must beat me in a dual. I haven't had one in awhile" Howl challenged.

"Guess I have no choice." Sonic said.

Sonic jumped back and pulled his wooden pole and Howl drew a long steel pole. Sonic charged at howl, but the grey wolf easily jumped over him and bang the hedgehog across the head. Sonic rubbed his head for a moment then turned to swing his weapon. Left and right, Sonic kept thrown as many blows as he could, but Howl would block them every time. Sonic made a downward slash, which Howl swatted away and hit Sonic across the face to throw him the floor.

"Give up yet?" Howl asked.

"You should know by now that I never give up!" Sonic shouted confidently.

Howl shook his head and raised his weapon to throw it downward. Unfortunately for him, Sonic rolled off to the side and kicked the metal pole from the grey wolf's hand. Sonic took this opportunity and hit Howl under his chin to throw him back into the wall.

"Ok, that hurt." Howl commented.

"All right! I win and the rope is mine!" Sonic cheered as he ran over and grabbed the rope.

"I must admit, you are quite strong." Howl complemented. "But you still don't stand a chance against Espio. We took him on three-to-one and he beat us all."

"No worries. Because on of these days, I will beat him." Sonic proclaimed.

"Whatever you say." Howl smirked.

With the rope, the sheet, and most of the logs collected, Sonic only had one more job left. Sonic ran through the wooden shack and along the bridge that led to a separate miniature island. Just as Sonic expected, the last long was their and so was Espio. The purple chameleon sat at the bended tree as his mind wandered to the setting sun.

"Hey, Espio!"

"Hey, Sonic. Have you done your part yet?" Espio asked.

"All I need is the log and I'm done." Sonic said.

"Why don't we battle for a while?" Espio asked. "I have nothing to do and sitting here is getting really boring."

"All right! I'm gonna win this time!" Sonic puffed out his chest to make him look tough.

"You're completely hopeless, you know that?" Espio chuckled as he jumped off the tree. Sword drew his wooden sword as Espio picked up a similar looking sword off the ground and turned to face his opponent. "Same rules as usual. Which means anything goes."

"Bring it!" Sonic exclaimed.

Sonic charged at Espio and swung his sword down, which Espio raised his sword to block. Espio smirked as he pushed Sonic away and spun around twice in an attempt to swipe him. Sonic was lucky enough to dodge both attacks and raised his blade to block an unforeseen third attack from the side. Sonic pushed Espio away and kicked him in the face, forcing him to fall on his back. Just as it looked like Espio was finished, the purple chameleon jumped back up and swung his sword across the blue hedgehog's face.

"Wow, you actually managed to hit me this time. That is a sign of definite improvement." Espio smirked with respect. "All right, no more holding back!"

Sonic swung his sword around as he jumped to his feet. Espio elegantly slid around the attack and wound up catching Sonic off guard from behind. Sonic tried to counteract by elbowing Espio in the face, but the purple chameleon hit his opponent with the hilt of his wooden sword to push it forward. Sonic was thrown off balance and was tripped from behind as Espio kicked him off his feet. Sonic's eyes shot open wide as the wooden sword came down fast to his face. When the sword was only an inch from his face, Espio stopped it and smirked.

"I win." Espio claimed.

"I swear, I'll get you one of these days." Sonic said with determination.

"I'm sure you will." Espio said sarcastically. He held his hand out to pull Sonic back to his feet. "You should probably get going. Amy's still waiting for you."

"Yeah, see ya latter." Sonic said as he picked up the log and made his way back to Amy.

After Sonic gave his supplies to Amy, the rest of the day turned out to be as normal as it will always be. Recter and Howl were sparring with Raine cheering for them. Sonic, Amy, and Espio continued to work on the raft for what seemed like hours. As the sun began to set, Recter, Howl, and Raine had already left for home and the trio remained on the island for a bit longer. Sonic and Amy were sitting on the bended paopu tree while Espio leaned up against it.

"So, Amy's home is out there somewhere, right?" Sonic asked Espio.

"Most likely." Espio replied. "But we will never know as long as we stick around on this boring old place."

"But how far could that little old raft take us anyway?" Sonic asked as he lied back down onto the tree.

"Don't worry, Sonic. I always have a back up plan." Espio said confidently. "If the raft doesn't work, then we'll just think of something else."

"So, if we do get to another world, what would you do there?" Amy asked Espio curiously.

"You know, I never really thought of that." Espio said honestly. "It's just that, I have always wondered why we're here, on this island. If there are any other worlds out there, why do we have live on this one? If there are other worlds, then ours is just a small piece of something much greater. So, we could have just as easily landed on any other world, right?"

"Who's know?" Sonic lazily said.

"Exactly! That's why we need to leave." Espio said. "We will never truly find out if we live here, doing the same thing everyday. So let's go and discover a whole new world beyond ours."

"You've been thinking a lot lately, haven't you?" Amy commented.

"All because of you. If you had never come here, I would never have thought of any of this. Amy, thanks." Espio said.

"Your welcome." Amy returned.

As the sun slowly set, Amy was already starting to make her way home with Sonic and Amy following close behind. Sonic stopped when he heard his friend call his name. Sonic turned around just in time to catch a yellow, star-shaped fruit that was thrown to him.

"You wanted one, right?" Espio asked.

"A paopu fruit?" Sonic questioned.

"They say that if you share it with someone, your hearts remain connected forever. You will remain apart of each others lives, forever." Espio explained as he walked past him. "Come on, I know you want to try it." he teased.

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed as he threw the legendary fruit away and started to chase after his laughing friend.

* * *

Meanwhile, over a hundred worlds wandered across across vast depths of time and space. But among these worlds was one particular world that held a floating castle filled with several misshapen racetracks and a bountiful array of flowers and trees spread all across the world. This world was known as the legendary Babylon Garden, A former home to many legends that fought in the great war of the worlds years ago. 

Inside the castle, a grey hedgehog walked along the castle corridors. The hedgehog had two arching spines with five quills sticking out of his forehead with two longer quills sticking out of the back and white fur mane that reached from his chest, all around his neck and to his back. He wore a dignified blue sash draped over his shoulders, simple black shoes, white gloves with talisman bracelets around them, and a silver band with a sapphire around his head. He was respected as the royal mystic of Babylon Garden. The grey hedgehog walked past the stone statues he enchanted to help around the castle and stopped in front of a large stone door. The hedgehog passed his fingers over the symbols of doors and opened them up to enter the shining throne room inside.

"Good morning, you majesty." The hedgehog greeted. "It is such a good...what in the world!!" he screamed.

Instead of seeing the king at his throne like he was every morning, he found the king's pet chao, Cheese, holding a letter the king's seal (Babylon Rogue's symbol). His eyes wandered over the letter, concentrating on what the king may have left him. He checked it not once, not twice, but three times. After finishing the letter, he stood there, unblinkingly, before running out of the room screaming.

"This is terrible!" the hedgehog screamed. He unfortunately crashed into a statue that was carrying the queen's prized Gear and shattered them on the floor. "The queen is going to kill me for this, but I don't have time."

The grey hedgehog frantically ran out of the castle and rushed to one of the many gardens that surrounded it. to his luck, he found what he was looking for. Sleeping in the fields was a large grey albatross that had three spiked feathers sticking out of the back of his head, white feathers covering his entire front side and darker grey shade feathers shaped like a flame on his right wrist. The large bird word metal boots, metal gauntlets, a helmet, and armor the covered his chest and his left arm. He was known as the captain of the guard for Babylon Garden.

"Storm, wake up! This is serious!" the grey hedgehog shouted, but the albatross remained asleep. Angered by the bird's laziness, the mystic broke of a random tree branch with his mind and whacked it over the albatross' head to wake him up.

"Whoa, what are ride." The bird known as storm said stupidly. he turned and noticed the mystic standing right next to him. "Oh, hey, Silver. Good morning."

"No time for that, Storm. We got a problem!" Silver told Storm. "But don't tell anyone."

"Queen Wave?" Storm asked.

"Not even the queen!"

"Blaze?"

"No! It's top secret! So don't tell anyone!" Silver snapped.

"Ok, but I think you should tell them that. Good morning, ladies" Strom waved.

"Oh no." Silver whisper as he turned around. To his unfortunately to his surprise, he found that is was the queen and his girlfriend that were standing behind him.

Unlike normal queens, Wave was not the kind to dress in fancy garments. The queen was a purple swallow with two large feathers that draped down her back and a darker shade of purple feathers shaped like a flame on her right wrist. She wore white gloves with tan loops, red boots, golden lenses sunglasses, white trousers with purple flames, a white top, a red circular jewel necklace and a white bandana. His girlfriend, Blaze was also like her. Blaze was a Lavender cat with four tendrils of hair being banded together by a red ring and a red jewel embedded in her forehead. She wore a violet coat with a golden collar, white form-fitting trousers, white gloves with fur-lined cuffs, and a pair of magenta and white shoes with fur-lined collars.

"Silver, is there anything you would like to tell us?" Blaze asked her boyfriend sternly.

"Something so important that you had to break my best Gear!" Wave exclaimed as she held up the shattered piece of Gear in her hand.

Silver sweated intensely as he felt the stings of the stares pierce straight through his soul. He knew there was no way out of this.

"Man, I am in big trouble now." Silver sighed.

* * *

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	4. Destiny Island, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter Three: Destiny Island, Part 2

It was the day after Sonic was sent to gather supplies and was now currently rowing his way to the island. Unknown to him, the figure wearing the black coat was still watching. But Sonic wasn't the only thing he was watching. His attention was also directed to the brown cloaked man that was trespassing on the island.

"I had no idea you were here, but it still works." The man said. "Lead the boy to his destiny and gather as many hearts as you can." He turned around and disappeared.

"Oh man, Espio and Amy are going to kill me" Sonic said as he jumped out of the boat and ran along the beach. "They said we were supposed to meet on the other side of the island."

Then, from out of nowhere, Recter grabbed the blue hedgehog around the neck as a friendly greeting.

"Hey, buddy. How are you doing?" Recter asked, not knowing that Sonic was suffocating.

"Can't...breathe." Sonic gasped out.

"Whoops, my bad." Recter released the hedgehog the hedgehog. "So, what's the hurry?

"Can't talk! Must find Espio and Amy before I die!" Sonic panicked.

"Shoot. Guess that means you won't be joining me and Howl on a little exploration." Recter said.

"Where are you going?" Sonic asked.

"We are going to go explore the secret place. There is bound to be something there. Also, Raine said she saw someone go in there earlier." Recter said.

"Yeah, maybe I'll check it out later. But right now I need to get going." Sonic said.

"Later, bro." Recter waved goodbye.

Sonic ran to the other side of the beach until he made it to a wooden door that led to the other side of the island. He opened the door so he could reach the other side where he was supposed to meet his friends. This side of the island was completely different from the other. The whole area was full of wooden platforms, had a tall tower with a zip line, a miniature forest of palm trees, and a strange star-shaped tree on the other side. Stand right next to the door was Espio, waiting patently for his friend.

"Still as lazy as ever, Sonic." Espio stated with disappointment in his voice.

"Hey, I'm here, aren't I?" Sonic replied. "So now what do we do?"

"Well, we haven't come up with a name for the raft yet." Espio said. "I was thinking of calling it Chaotix.

"No way! I think it should be called Blue Star!" Sonic responded.

"Chaotix!"

"Blue Star!"

"I guess there is only one way to settle this." Espio tried to calm the argument. "Same rules as last time?"

"You're on!" Sonic accepted the challenge.

Meanwhile, Amy was walking the platforms and spotted Sonic and Espio. Judging by the looks on their faces, they were getting ready to start another competition.

"Don't tell me you guys are at it again." Amy groaned.

"Ok, we won't tell you." Espio smirked.

"All right, I guess I'll be judge." Amy told them. "First one to make it to the star tree and back wins.

"How about a little bet, Sonic?" Espio smiled deviously.

"All right, if I win, I'm captain." Sonic placed his bet. "And if you win..."

"I get to share the paopu with Amy." Espio interrupted.

"Wha..." Sonic asked in a shocked manner.

"Deal? Winner gets to share the paopu with Amy."

"Wait, hold on!"

"Ok, get ready!" Amy called, interrupting Sonic. Amy raised her arm as a signal and the two racers moved into running positions. "On your mark, get set, go!"

Sonic and Espio took off so fast; Amy barely had enough time to jump out of the way. Espio took an early lead as they jumped across the platforms. Because Espio was more adapted to running around the environment, Espio's lead only increased. Figuring he couldn't win on speed alone, Sonic quickly came up with an idea and started to climb the tower. Once to the top, Sonic took off down the zip line and touched the star tree before jumping across the trees.

"Not bad." Espio commented. "but it will take more then that to beat me."

Sonic jumped back near the tower, assured of his victory, when Espio came out of nowhere and jumped off of Sonic's head.

"No way!" Sonic shouted in disbelief. "How did he catch up to me so fast?"

"Just give up, Sonic. You know you can't win." Espio stated.

We'll just see about that!" Sonic shouted as he jumped back to his feet and chased after Espio.

The two boys ran across the platform, never showing any signs of giving up. Then shoved each other back and forth and with each jump they came closer to their goal. Not far was Amy holding her hands out for them to tag. Remembering the bet, Sonic pulled out every bit of strength he had and dashed forward and tagged Amy, one second ahead of Espio. Sonic grasped his knees and was panting hard and ragged when Amy raised his arm.

"The winner and new champion: Sonic!" Amy cheered.

"Aw, he just got lucky." Espio shrugged.

"No way, I beat you all on my own and you know it, Espio!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Whatever." Espio shrugged and turned away to gaze out to the ocean.

"Well, I won! That means I'm the champion!" Sonic shouted with joy along with a little victory dance.

"Calm down, it's only a race." Espio chuckled at Sonic's antics. "Oh, by the way, I was only joking about that betting. Now, don't you feel like an idiot?" Espio laughed loudly.

Sonic's face turned just as red as Rector's fur. Sure he may have won, but he did it all for nothing and made a total embarrassment of himself. Then, the most unexpected thing happened. Amy kissed Sonic on the cheek.

"That was a reward for winning." Amy giggled.

"Hey, Espio, how about another race?" Sonic asked hopefully.

"No way." Espio rejected. "Besides, you two have jobs to do. I have already done my part."

"He's right. Let's go, Sonic." Amy grabbed Sonic arms and started to drag him away.

Amy dragged Sonic to the other side of the island, where they found the raft that they had built. And by 'they' I mean Espio did it. the raft was mostly made from logs tied together, a mast, and a sail made from the sheet Sonic found the other day.

"Whoa! Espio's been at it lately." Sonic said, impressed by Espio's work.

"Yeah, he did." Amy responded. "Now, let's get down to business. I need you to get the supplies on this list and bring them back here before sunset."

"Hey! why do I have to do all this?" Sonic complained.

"You wouldn't want me to do it, would you?" Amy asked with her innocent eyes and cute pout that Sonic could never resist.

"Oh, fine." Sonic admitted defeat. The blue hedgehog took the list from her hands and started to walk away.

Most of the items of the list were easy to find. Sonic found the first mushroom on the list behind a large rock, which took over ten minutes to move. He found the second mushroom in a bush near the tower with the zip line. The next items of the list was coconuts. Sora knew that very few were ripe this time of year and had to be very cautious of the ones he chose. After collecting the coconut, Sonic race to the other side of the island to gather some fish. It took a few tries to catch the fish with his hands, but he did it. And lastly, Sonic found a seagull egg and took it, after getting pecked by a few seagulls.

"Glad that's over." Sonic groaned as he rubbed the spots where the seagulls pecked him. "All I need is the last mushroom and I am done. There should be one in the secret place."

Sonic crawled through the hole near the waterfall to enter a secret tunnel where they used as a hideout. The walls were filled with many crude drawings that Sonic and the other drew when they were younger. The most interesting feature of the place was the tall brown town that could never be open. they had no idea why it was there, only that it was.

"There it is." Sonic said as he grabbed the last mushroom.

His attention was trailed off the mushroom and was directed to a particular drawing on the wall. It was years ago when Sonic and Amy first met. They discovered the secret place and marked it with drawings of each other. Sonic suddenly grabbed a random rock and began to mark the wall. When he was done, the picture had change to Sonic giving the paopu to Amy. Suddenly, Sonic felt a cold chill go down his spine and turned to see the figure in the brown cloak.

"W-who are you?" Sonic asked nervously.

"I have come to see the door to this world." The man said in a low, bone-chilling voice

"Huh?

"The door has been opened." The man stated

"What are you talking about?" Sonic questioned.

"Tied to the darkness. Soon to be completely eclipsed."

"Who ever you are, stop freaking me out like this!" Sonic exclaimed. "Wait. I've never seen you before. Who are you?"

"I am afraid that you may not be ready to learn what lies beyond the door."

"So, are you from another world?" Sonic asked.

"There is so much to learn, yet you understand so little." The man continued

"Oh yeah, well you'll see. I'm gonna go out and learn what's out there!" Sonic shouted with determination.

"A meaningless effort. One who knows nothing can understand nothing." The man said lowly. "But there may still be hope for you. if the prophecies are true, then all the answers will become clear to you. for example, do you know what lies beyond that door?"

"I...don't know." Sonic admitted. Sonic took a long hard stare at the door before turning back to the man, only to find that he was gone. "Where'd he go? What was that all about?"

Remembering the mushroom in his hand, he instantly remembered Amy and ran out of the cave. Sonic ran back to the other side of the island and found Amy leaning against the mast of the raft, making something in her hands.

"Hey, Amy, what are you doing?" Sonic asked out of curiosity.

"You mean this?" Amy asked as she held up the item to show to Sonic. "I'm just making a necklace out of thalassa shells. They say that if people wore them out at sea, it would bring them good luck on their voyage.

"Hey, good idea." Sonic said. "The sun's going down. Guess we better go."

"Maybe." Amy agreed.

Later, the two hedgehogs sat at the docks at the sun began to set across the horizon. Sonic thought the suns reflection off the water made Amy look even more beautiful then before. Then he slapped himself.

"Hey, Sonic, have you noticed how Espio has changed?" Amy asked out of the blue.

"What do you mean?" Sonic returned. He noticed that he usually happy attitude showed a hint of depression. "Hey, are you alright?"

"Sonic, let's take the raft a go, just the two of us." Amy said suddenly.

"What?" Sonic said surprised and flustered.

"Just kidding?" Amy giggled. "I really had you going there, didn't I?"

"No, you didn't" Sonic lied. "You're the one who's changed, Amy."

"Maybe. You know, I was a little afraid at first, but now I'm ready. No matter where I go or what I see, I know I can always come back here. Right?" Amy asked.

"That's good." Amy smiled. "Sonic, don't ever change."

"Huh?"

"I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great." Amy said.

the two remained in silence for the rest of the time, enjoying the last moments they had on the island. They couldn't wait to set sail. For tomorrow, they would take their first step to their journey to the new worlds that lie out there. Unknown to them, the man in the black coat was also watching and sharing these same thoughts. The man in the black caot took a moment to gaze at his surroundings and exerted a loud sigh.

"I never expected to return here. It would seem that history is repeating itself." the black coat man said. "I just wonder if his fate will be the same as the one before him."

* * *

Meanwhile, back at Babylon Garden, the queen, the cat, and the captain of the guard gathered around as Silver began to read off the letter that was left to them by the king.

Sorry to rush off without saying goodbye, but there's big trouble brewing. Not sure why, but the stars have been blinking out, one by one. And that means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a "key"—the key to our survival. So I need you and Storm to find him, and stick with him. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So go to Traverse Town and find Metal. He'll point you in the right direction.

P.S.

Would ya apologize to Wave for me? Thanks pal.

"What do we do now?" Blaze asked.

"We have no choice but to trust the king's decision." Wave said intellectually.

"I sure hope he's all right." Storm said.

"Don't worry, your highness. We'll find the king and this "key" Silver said in a noble manner.

"Thank you, both of you." Wave said.

"Blaze, can you take care of the..."

"Of course. Just promise to be careful." Blaze said insecurely.

"Don't worry, I will." Silver assured her as he gave her a warm smile that was meant only for her.

"We hope for your safe return. Please, help the king." Wave asked of them.

With his mission in mind, Silver saluted goodbye to Wave, Blaze, and...Storm. Apparently, Storm was trying to get out of the mission, but failed as he was easily caught by Silver.

"Oh no, you're not getting out of this one! You're coming to!" Silver exclaimed and dragged Storm away.

The two heroes walked down the long stairway until they reached the secret runway that was built underneath the Garden. Silver then looked over to see the two engineers of the Garden. The small one was young bee that wore black pilot's helmet with red trims with black and yellow flight goggles, white gloves with black cuffs, an orange vest with a bee patch on it and orange sneakers. The tall one was a green crocodile that wore grey headphones, a golden chain around his neck, black cuffs with golden buckles and black and white sneakers.

"Silver, Strom! Perfect timing." The crocodile, Vector, said.

"We've just got finished making the gear!" the bee, Charmy, exclaimed.

The two engineers moved out of the way to reveal three special boards leaning against the wall. The first was large yellow board called the Hurricane, the second was a silver board called the Galaxy and the third was a blue board called the Blue Star.

"We have made another board for this key guy, just as you asked.

"Thanks, you two." Silver ceremonially bowed to the two, who bowed back to him. "Let's go, Storm."

Silver collects the Blue Star and grabs the Galaxy to ride on. Storm follows his example and places the Hurricane underneath his feet. He two move to the center of the room as Vector and Charmy prepare to launch them. Silver takes one last look at Blaze and gave her a smile of confidence. The doors opened up and the two readied themselves to leave.

"Blast off!" Charmy shouted and pulled the lever.

The two expected to be thrown out of the doors, but instead, they fell straight through the floor.

"This is not what I had in mind!" Silver screamed as he fell down the hole with Storm.

Outside of the Babylon Garden, the hole popped them out of the bottom and into space. After regaining control of their Gear, Silver and Storm and blast away to Traverse town in hopes of finding the key and their king.

* * *

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	5. The Departure

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter Four: The Departure

It was in the dead of night. Everyone had left for home, with great expectations for their trip the next day. But one person could not sleep. Espio stood out to the beach, gazing out to the island he would soon leave. He could feel it, the cold winds sent him a message that something terrible was about to happen. Without even turning his back, Espio quickly became aware of the brown cloaked man's presence.

"Who are you?" Espio questioned, still facing the island.

"The time has come. All your dreams and ambitions lie beyond the door." The brown cloaked man said.

"The door?" Espio asked as he turned back. But the brown cloaked man was gone. "The door..."

Espio's thoughts went into this door. Could it be the door hidden in the secret place? Only one way to find out. Espio walked over to his boat and shoved of as he made his way to the island. Unknown to him, Amy was also walking along the beach when Espio departed.

"Espio?" Amy questioned in confusion. "Where is he going?"

Meanwhile, Sonic was sitting on the windowsill of his room while concentrating on the paopu fruit that Espio had given him the other day. Should he give it to her was the question that kept running through his mind. They had been friends for so many years, but was he really ready to take the next step? It didn't matter now. Tomorrow was the big day. Sonic could still remember the words Amy said earlier.

"_I just can't wait. Once we set sail, it'll be great."_

A smile crept on his face as he shifted his gaze to the island. His smile was instantly changed when he saw dark storm clouds hanging over the island.

"A storm?" Sonic questioned. He was then hit with a sudden realization. "Oh no, the raft!"

"Sonic? Dinner's ready. Come on down?" Sonic caretaker, Chuck, called, but received no response. "Sonic?"

Sonic grabbed his boat and rowed across the water as fast as he could to the island. Upon arriving, Sonic found a gigantic black ball of energy with a red core looming over the island.

"I'm no weather man, but I know that is not good." Sonic stated when he noticed Espio and Amy's boat. "This is Espio's boat and Amy's too." He pondered these questions until he heard a noise and looked over his shoulder. Forming from the shadows were the dark creatures he encountered in his dream. "Aw man, I've already had enough of them asleep, now I have to fight them awake?" Sonic drew his wooden sword and charged forward.

One of the shadow creatures made a jump at him, but Sonic quickly ducked down and kicked the creature from behind. While the creature was still down, Sonic whipped up his sword and brought it down on the creature. But it had no effect.

Oh, come on." Sonic whined. "Can you do anything right, you stupid piece of junk?!" Sonic's attention returned to the creature as it suddenly split in half and multiplied. "Ok, wasn't expecting that. Only one thing to do in a time like this: RUN!!!" Sonic ran across the beach and suddenly jumped over the roof of the shack. Sonic found Espio standing at the miniature island and ran across the bridge to reach him. "Espio? Espio, what's going on? Where's Amy?"

"The door is open." Espio mumbled suddenly.

"Huh?" Sonic questioned.

"The door is open, Sonic." Espio emphasized as he turned to the blue hedgehog. "Now we can go to the outside world! All of our dreams and ambitions will soon become a reality!"

"What are you talking about? We have to find Amy." Sonic said.

"Amy's coming with us!" Espio suddenly snapped, scaring his friend. Never before had Sonic seen Espio like this. He was usually the cool and calm one, but now... "Once we step through to the other side, there will be no turning back. We will never see our friends or family again. Of course, we all have nothing to lose. Both my parents are dead and you and Amy...you never had a family to begin with"

Espio struck an open wound on that comment. It was true. Espio's parents both died trying to save their son from drowning in a storm. Amy came to this world with no memory or family. And Sonic...he was only a week old when Chuck found him flouting on a small boat. It was like he came from out of nowhere. He never even had a chance to know who his parents were. And that's the true reason he wants to escape this world, so he could find them.

"We may never see our friends again, but that's the kind of risk I am willing to take for my dream. We can't let our fear stop us. I'm not afraid of the darkness!" Espio yelled. Espio extended his arm to his friend. "Embrace the darkness and let us find our destiny with in it."

Sonic was greatly tempted to accept Espio's offer. As Sonic stretched his hand out, the voice of his dreams suddenly returned.

"_Walk the path of light and find your true destiny."_

"I'm sorry, Espio. But I can't walk the same path you do." Sonic said.

Espio seemed disappointed at his friends. For no apparent reason, a hole of darkness appeared beneath Espio's feet. Black vines erupted from the hole as it slowly entangled his body. Sonic reacted quickly but trying to save his friend from the web of darkness, but soon found himself caught as well. Sonic struggled with all his might, but proved to be in vain. And then, everything went black. It was just like his dream. he was dying once again. Just as all hope seemed lost, a bright light erupted from the darkness. Sonic opened his to find that the darkness was gone, but so was Espio. Sonic suddenly felt heavier in his right arm and looked down.

"What is this thing?" Sonic questioned with wide eyes.

Sonic held the item above his head. It was a large blade that was amazingly formed in the shape of a key and had a yellow metal square circling the handle. At the end of the blade with a key chain shaped like buzz saw (Sonic's symbol).

"I have no idea what this is, but looks cool." Sonic said happily.

"_Keyblade..."_ The voice said. _"Keyblade..."_

"All of a sudden, one of the black creatures caught up with Sonic and slowly snuck up behind him. The creature made a jump, but Sonic surprisingly swung around and sliced the creature in half.

"Ok, I am liking this thing more and more." Sonic chuckled.

More black creature ran down the bridge, but Sonic was prepared for them this time. With speed he didn't even realize he had, Sonic swerved through the horde of black creature and sliced each and every one of them down the middle.

"Whoa! I could never run that fast before!" Sonic shouted in surprise. He carefully examined his new weapon. "This thing must give me the power to move faster. Wonder what else it can do?" All of a sudden, the Keyblade began floating in the air and started tugging Sonic in the direction of the secret place. "Whoa! Hold up!"

Upon arriving at the secret place, Sonic found the entrance blocked of by a pure white door.

"That's never been there before."

Sonic quickly grabbed a hold of the door handles and forcefully opened the door. Sonic crawled through the hole and surprisingly found Amy facing the blank door.

"Amy!"

Sonic was shocked at what happened next. As Amy turned around, he noticed that she was no longer her cheerful self, but it a trance-like state.

"Sonic..." Amy said, in a somewhat pleading manner.

Amy tried to reach out for Sonic until the blank door roared open, releasing a tsunami of dark energy that sent Amy flying. Sonic opened his arms to catch her, but she suddenly disappeared without a trace. The wind blew Sonic back and out of the secret place. Sonic soon found himself on the only remaining piece of the island.

"What's going on?!" Sonic screamed.

The ground shook and Sonic found himself confronting the same creature from his dream: the Darkside

"Oh, come on! Give me a break!" Sonic complained as he summoned the Keyblade.

The Darkside raised its fist and attempted to crush the blue hedgehog under it, but Sonic was to fast for it. Sonic, using his newly found super speed, jumped up the fist and ran up the arm into the Darkside's face. Only problem was, he didn't know how to stop.

"Where are the brakes on these things!" Sonic screamed.

Sonic tried to skid to a stop, but only tripped on his own two feet and slammed dead center into the Darkside's face. The lucky thing was that Sonic accidentally stabbed the Darkside in the eye with his Keyblade. The giant monster screamed as it clutched its eye and slapped Sonic back to the ground.

"Note to self: never try that again until you learn how to stop."

With no choice left, the Darkside crouched down to its knees and gathered a large amount of energy into its open heart shaped chest.

"Oh no, not again."

This time the Dark side launched not one, but three white balls at the blue hedgehog. Having nowhere else to go, Sonic stood his ground. As the three balls came closer, Sonic gripped his Keyblade tightly and took a swing at the balls like a baseball bat. With enough luck, Sonic was able to repel the balls back and send them flying into the Darkside's face, forcing it to fall on its back. Having no strength to move, the Darkside was swept up and absorbed by the ball into the sky.

"Great, now what?" Sonic asked himself.

The giant ball of darkness increased its suction rate and attempted to pull Sonic into the sky. Sonic attempted to stay put by grabbing on a random piece of wood, but it was no use as he drifted into the sky. Then everything went dark.

* * *

Meanwhile, a plot was unfolding in another world far beyond the reach of any living being. The world was made up of an endless sea of skyscrapers. In the center of this world was a pure white castle with a heart-shaped moon floating above it. inside, an unknown being wearing a black coat with the hood over his face. He also wore dark gloves and boots along with a silver chain around the neck. The being was leisurely walking along the stairway until another figure came along frantically. The being wore the same outfit, except his gloves were made for three round fingers and a long purple tail being dragged under the coat. 

"Oracle! Oracle!" the being screamed and came to a stop in front of the other.

"What is all the fuss about?" The being known as Oracle asked.

"Where is the leader?" The figure asked.

"At the usual place." Oracle answered simply.

"The Room of Sleep." The being said disappointingly.

"If it's urgent, why don't you go and see him?" Oracle asked.

"Stop joking around!" The figure yelled. "I will await his return. I have no other choice. This is what happens when we need him and he sleeps. Now, of all times..." The figure walked past Oracle and disappeared down the stairs.

"I'm not so good in that place either."

Oracle looked back and upwards to see another being who wore the same outfit as him and the other. Unlike everyone else, the figure didn't wear boots or gloves, exposing his red fur and claws.

"How bout you, Mister Oracle?" the new figure asked.

"What are you doing, eavesdropping like this?" Oracle asked. "The mission assigned to you and Pein was to look for more members to join our organization. You shouldn't be able to afford to waste your time here, Terro."

The new figure known as Terro stood and atop the pipeline. All of a sudden, two black bat wings appeared from his back as he jumped down to soften his landing in front of Oracle.

"I'm doing enough work already!" Terro exclaimed. "I found another one just yesterday. I think her new name is "Roo..." something or other. With this, the organization now has eleven members. That's quite a number. And just for today, I asked that Djinn guy to cover for me so I could take a break. In anticipation for tomorrow's work, that is."

"Then rest fully." Oracle said as he turned away from Terro. "I have work to do, so I should be going."

Oracle started to walk away, but Terro used his wings to glide over and land in front of Oracle.

"Don't be so harsh." Terro said. "I just want to have a little fun talk with you. About, say, the leader's secret?" Oracle's eyes turned to Terro, filled with curiosity. "How many years ago was it? People with the blades of keys started to appear and fought great battles. When they were gone, a man who had lost his memories suddenly appeared. The leader was taken in by your master around that time, was he not?

"What of it?" Oracle asked.

"The Room of Sleep. The underground laboratory where you were studying the darkness of people's hearts. The place where your master ordered you to sealed off. The first thing our leader did when he got rid of that pathetic waste was to release the seal and construct that room in the depths of the laboratory. After that, he frequently went down there and I could hear him talking to someone. I believe it was female since he kept calling it "My Love". Isn't it odd? The leader is supposed to be there alone.

"It would seem that you have been busy eavesdropping." Oracle stated. "Let me guess, you want to use my eyes so you will know when the next time he goes down there?"

"Yes, you're absolutely right. Your eyes could really help." Terro said. "Come on. I know your curios.

"I simply want to concentrate on my assignment. And you should concentrate on your real assignment. If my eyes are correct, then we should receive two more members. Then we will have thirteen and our organization will be complete. But for now, we must hurry for the preparations for our new headquarters." Oracle said as he walked past Terro.

"Our new headquarters?" Terro thought curiously. "Oh, the castle. What does the leader hope to achieve there?"

"We have been told that..."

"There's a reason, one that hasn't been told to anyone." Terro interrupted. Oracle stopped and the stairway was filled with a creepy silence. "With the Room of Sleep comes the Room of Awakening. That is what he is seeking. That room which was not created by the leader. Perhaps that is where the..."Brother"...must be."

Oracle turned back to Terro. As he turned, the eyes that they were mentioning earlier showed underneath the hood. The irises of Oracle's eyes were pitch black and the pupil were blood red with a small curved cross in the center.

"That is quite an interesting theory, Terro." Oracle replied. "But we don't have time to look into it. we must prepare for him." Oracle slowly started to walk away.

"Prepare for who?"

Oracle stopped and gave him one last look before saying...

"The master of the Keyblade."

* * *

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	6. Trouble in Traverse Town, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter Five: Trouble in Traverse Town, Part 1

The scene then takes place in a new world, one that the heroes had never seen before. This new world was a town constructed of old houses and shops that seemed to have lasted for years. The town seemed to be separated into three districts. In the center of the first district, Silver and Storm were making their way through town in search of "The Key". But to ward off any suspicion of them being from another world, the two discarded their old clothing and donned some new attire. Silver wore white gloves with cyan circles on them to help with his powers and golden bracelets. He also had black, white, and teal boots with golden bands at the top of them. Storm wore tan glove with a metal loop, black and white sneaker with yellow straps, small beige goggles, and a tribal necklace.

"Huh?" Storm said suddenly.

"What's the matter?" Silver asked.

Storm pointed to the sky and Silver looked up to find a random star blinking on and off.

"Look, a star's going out!" Storm exclaimed.

Then with a bright flash, the star disappeared completely. What they didn't was that the star that disappeared was the former Destiny Island.

"This isn't good. We're running out of time." Silver stated. "Come on. We have to find this "Metal" guy before it's too late.

"Maybe he'll find us." Storm said.

"The odds of that happening are one in a million." Silver shrugged it off. "We can't waste anymore time. Let's go."

Silver and Storm made their way across the district, quickly followed by the kings pet chao, Cheese. Little did they know that the person they were looking for was much closer then they thought.

---Traverse Town---

"Now we have to figure out who has that key and where he is hiding." Silver said seriously.

"Hey, if we are lucky, maybe that Metal guy already found him." Storm suggested.

"Let's hope your right." Silver said doubtfully.

As Silver made a right at the district shop, Storm stopped when he noticed Cheese heading the other direction.

"Uh, Silver. Ya know, I think we should go the other way." Storm suggested.

"And that's exactly why you leave the thinking to me."

"Hmm. Good point." Storm said stupidly. "Come on, Cheese."

As Storm went to follow Silver, they did not know that Cheese had already found the very person they were looking for. Resting against the alley wall was Sonic, who appeared to be unconscious.

"Chao." Cheese poked the hedgehogs head, but received no response. "Chao, chao!" Cheese started slapping the blue hedgehog senseless.

"Hey! Stop that!" Sonic screamed as woke up. He then noticed that the one who woke him up was a floating blue creature the likes he had never seen. "Whoa. This is some dream." Sonic mumbled before going back to sleep. Cheese slapped him again for good measure. "Ok, so this isn't a dream!"

Sonic slowly got up to his feet and check his surroundings. He was in a small alleyway, but he knew there were no alleys on the island.

"Where am I?" Sonic questioned. "This can't be good." Sonic crouched down to the chao. "Do you know where we are?"

But before he could even get an answer (as if he could), the chao's head perked up and flew out of the alley.

"Hey!"

Sonic chased the chao out of the alley, but stopped once he was outside. It was so weird. Sonic could believe what he was seeing. He was no longer on his island, but in a strange new town.

"This is weird. I'm actually in another world."

Sonic turned around and noticed that he was standing in front of an old accessories shop.

"Maybe I can get some answers in here."

Sonic entered the shop and took a good look around. It wasn't much, but it had a couch, a table, and a fire place to keep people warm. What he saw next shocked him. The keeper of the shop was a large red, black, and silver robot with a small yellow, platform head, giant metal claws with yellow, spiked cuffs, and short legs with black metal feet.

"Greetings! How may I..." the robot trailed off when he noticed Sonic. "Oh, it is just a child."

"Hey, I'm no child!" Sonic snapped. "And the name's Sonic!"

"Ok, calm down." The robot waved his arms. "Please explain your purpose for being here."

"Well first, I have to figure out where "here" is."

"This is the world known as Traverse Town." The robot stated. "This is where people go when they are separated from their world. Just as I was from mine."

"Traverse Town. So tell me, rust bucket, is this another world?" Sonic asked rudely.

"Please refrain from calling me that." The robot requested. "I am E-123 Omega. And to answer your question. Yes this is another world different from your own."

"Hmm...Well, in that case, I better start looking for Espio and Amy."

"I wish you the best of luck." Omega said. "If ever you are in danger, you may always return here."

"Thanks. See ya." And with that, Sonic was out the door.

Unknown to him, Omega was making a call on his wrist communicator.

"What is it?" A voice said through the communicator.

"A young hedgehog just came into the store." Omega stated. "He carries the same energy signature as the one we are looking for."

"Good work, Omega. I'll be there very soon."

Meanwhile, Sonic decided to explore the rest of the town to search for his friends. Seeing as how the first district was only that shop and a restaurant, Sonic passed through the doorway to the second district. The second district was clearly more used then any of the others. It had over ten different shops, a wide hotel, a large clock tower, and a beautiful flowing fountain. Every thing seemed normal, except for one thing.

"Where is everyone?" Sonic questioned.

As he looked around, he could notice that everything from the shops to the hotel was completely empty. Suddenly, a random resident of the town ran across him and tripped on his own feet. The man's face looked like one of sheer horror.

"Hey, man, what's going on?" Sonic asked.

The next thing he knew, the man's heart suddenly left his body. The heart was transformed into a creature wearing black and red spandex , a helmet, and a strange crossed heart emblem on its chest before disappearing. Sonic summoned his Keyblade as the black creatures returned again the fight Sonic.

"Oh, come. Can't you ever give me a break?" Sonic complained. "Well, if I'm ever gonna get out of this alive, I better fight them."

Two black creatures jumped at once, Which Sonic easily slashed across with his Keyblade. All of a sudden, he found himself being tripped by a sliding black creature and headbutted in the back by another. Sonic counteracted by slashing down the middle of the black creature that attacked him.

"Man, this is getting me nowhere." Sonic flipped up to his feet and sliced yet another black creature. "At this rate, I'll be a pile of bones before their gone."

Sonic slashed away another black creature when suddenly he was headbutted by another in the gut. Sonic stepped back up to the hotel doors while holding his gut in pain. Suddenly he was bombarded by a mass of black creatures and fell through the door along with them. At the same time, Silver and Storm stepped through the district doors and entered the second district, having no luck in the first district.

"It doesn't look like he's here." Storm said.

"He must be around here somewhere. Didn't you notice how that robot acted when we mentioned his name?" Silver asked

"Yeah." Silver gave him a suspicious look. "No." Storm admitted.

"I didn't think so. Come on, let's check this hotel." Silver suggested.

"Okay."

As Silver and Storm entered the hotel, three black creatures suddenly flew out the doors on the other side, followed by Sonic. Two more black creatures jumped out of the doors, but the blue hedgehog quickly swung around and cut them diagonally.

"Man, they just never quit." Sonic said.

Just then, ten more black creatures appeared before him. Sonic have stayed and fight, but he was still exhausted from the other ones. Sonic quickly turned tail and ran down the sidewalk, followed by the black creatures. Sonic made a turned right and quickly ran inside the clock tower along with the heartless. At the same time, Silver and Storm were just exiting the hotel, just missing Sonic and the black creatures.

"Ugh! Where is he!" Silver exclaimed.

"Metal!" Storm called out.

"Maybe we could check from that clock tower?" Silver suggested.

Silver and Storm walked over to the clock tower and entered through the doors. At the same time, Sonic exited out the other side and slammed the doors behind him. It's just their day, huh?

"Man, gotta get out of here quick." Sonic said to himself.

Acting on instinct, Sonic ran over to the ledge with his super speed to get farther away from the black creatures that followed him. The second Sonic let go of the doors, the black creatures swarmed out, but could not find the blue hedgehog anywhere. Just as Sonic entered into a random house, the heartless gave up their search and disappeared just seconds before Silver and Storm walked out.

"I can't spot him anywhere around here." Silver sighed.

"This could be a long day." Storm mumbled.

Meanwhile, Sonic looked out the house window to see if the black creatures had followed him here. When he found that he wasn't followed, he fell back and gave out a sigh of relief.

"Glad that's over." Sonic said.

Sonic looked up to the ceiling, but instead came face to face with a large, two legged pink dragon wearing an apron. Sonic screamed and tried to crawl away from the dragon.

"Oh, don't be afraid. I won't hurt you." the dragon said, claming Sonic's nerves.

"Ok, I believe you. So, who are you?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself." The dragon said. "My name is Salla, nanny of the dragon eggs."

"Dragon eggs?" Sonic questioned.

"Yes. You see, every twelve years, during the Year of the Dragon, exactly ninety-nine dragon eggs are laid and sent to me to watch over and nurture when they hatch." Salla explained. "But when my world was destroyed, I was sent here and all of the dragon eggs were scattered. I was lucky enough to have Metal search the town and bring me back nine of the eggs."

"Metal?" Sonic questioned.

"Yes. He is a king hearted person that gave me this place to house the eggs." Salla said. she motioned around the house to show Sonic the nine eggs she already had. "But he couldn't find anymore in the town. Normally, I would send Spyro to find them, but I haven't seen him since our world was destroyed. Oh, who knows what could be happening to him or the eggs." Salla started to cry.

"Don't worry, I'll bring them back." Sonic proclaimed.

"You will?"

"Sure. I'm going to be looking for my friends anyway. Might as well find those eggs too."

"Oh, thank you." Salla picked Sonic up into a bone breaking hug. "How can I ever repay you?"

"Stop trying to break me in half." Sonic's muffled voice said.

"Deal." Salla said as she let him go. "Please, come back safely."

"Don't worry, I will." Sonic said with a thumbs up before exiting the house.

Sonic exited the house very carefully and scanned the area for any sign of the black creatures. With none in sight, Sonic used his new super speed to run across the district. Sonic had excellent control of steering himself, the only problem was stopping. Sonic attempted to skid to a halt, but unfortunately ran into the district door.

"I have to learn how to work the brakes." Sonic said to himself as he walked through the district door.

Sonic was tired and after running all day, just wanted to lie down. Sonic trudged his way down the stairs and turned right until he made it to the front door of Omega's shop. Sonic was about to open the door when a sudden shock bounced off the wooden door and struck Sonic's hand.

"YOW! What the?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Those creatures. No matter how far you run, they will come after you from out of nowhere." a dark low voice came from around the corner.

"And who are you." Sonic growled as he summoned his Keyblade for protection.

The mysterious voice moved out of hiding and made his presences know. He was a blue robot with three extensions on its head that acted as quills, a yellow chamber in its stomach with an engine in the back, razor sharp metal claws, and red metal shoes for feet (CD form). Carrying on his shoulder was a sword with a silver spiked ring around the handle.

"And they'll keep on coming after you, as long as you continue to wield the Keyblade." The robot continued. "But why? Why would it choose someone like you?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sonic yelled, feeling offended.

"Never mind." the robot sighed. The robot moved closer with its claw held out to the Keyblade. "Now, let's see that Keyblade."

"What? There is no way you are getting your hands on this!" Sonic exclaimed as he moved to a fighting position.

"Hmm...looks like we have a stubborn one." The robot mumbled under its breath as he raised his weapon. "Very well, then we will do things your way."

Sonic was the first to attack as he charged at the machine with his Keyblade held high. Sonic brought his Keyblade down, which the mech easily blocked with his sword. Sonic attempted to knee the robot, but it easily swatted his knee away and pushed him in his stomach. The force of the push was much strong then he expected. It actually threw him over and down the stairs.

"Give up yet?" the robot asked.

"Never!" Sonic growled.

Sonic ran up the steps and attempted to stab the machine, but in disappeared into thin air. Sonic searched the area for him, but couldn't find him.

"Your skills are to weak to be compared to mine." The mech said from behind Sonic.

Sonic swung around to hit him, but the mech disappeared again. Sonic felt a cold hand touch his back and then felt a surge of electricity travel through his spine. Sonic weakly collapsed and dully rolled down the stairs. The robot walked up to the blue hedgehog and kicked him to his back.

"Your determination is strong, but it stands no chance against my skills."

"Don't get cocky!" Sonic suddenly shouted.

Before he could even realize it, Sonic shot up off the ground and slashed the robot straight upwards. The mech stepped back in pain before he was kicked to the side of his face and sent flying into the lamp post in the center of the district. The robot grabbed the bended lamp post as support to pull himself up. The mech moved away just in time as Sonic came in front out of nowhere and cut across, cutting the lamp post in the process.

"It has become clear that I have underestimated you." the mech admitted. "But, are you skilled enough to wield such a powerful item as the Keyblade?"

"Why don't I show you?" Sonic said.

"Fine. Let us finish this with one final dual."

"Fine by me."

The district was filled with silence, both combatants waiting for the other to make a move. The stood their in silence until the mech slightly moved his foot. They both charged a furiously blinding speeds and jumped up into the air. Sonic and the mech came closer to each other and gripped their blades tightly. They both brought their blades up and swung their blades with one final blow. The two landed and waited to see who had won. Suddenly, a large cut appeared on the mechs chest as he fell to his knees. Sonic smirked.

"Ha-ha! Looks like I..."

Sonic could not finish the sentence as he felt all of the energy in his body slowly die away. Sonic struggled to stay on his feet, but failed and fainted backwards. The mech stood up, barely affected by Sonic's attack.

"He was much better then I thought." The mech complimented.

"Aww, your slipping, Metal." A young, female voice said.

The mech known as Metal looked back to see a young cream colored rabbit with orange spots on her eyes, head, and the tips of her long ears walked up to him. She wore a small basic orange dress with a blue ribbon on it and wore orange and yellow shoes.

"I went easy on him, Cream." Metal said. "Still, things are worse then we thought. A lot worse."

* * *

Meanwhile, another event was taking place in a far off world. This world held a dark and terrible castle along with a waterfall the that surprisingly went up. On a small island in the middle of the waterfall, a lone figure could be seen waking up. The person was Espio, who seemed greatly confused at his new environment. 

"Hey, where am I?" Espio questioned seriously. "What is this place? Am I in a new world?" he then noticed that his friends weren't with him. "Sonic, Amy, where are you?

Unknown to Espio, he was being closely watched. The watcher was a floating alien-like creature with three blood red eyes and two horizontal horns on his head. He wore a brown robe with a golden chain around his neck and various jewels on his robe. The dark figure chuckled sinisterly at Espio's arrival.

* * *

**Please, read and review**


	7. Trouble in Traverse Town, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Disclaimer: I do not own anything in this story other then the OC's

Chapter Six: Trouble in Traverse Town, Part 2

Only an hour has pasted since Sonic battled the furious fighter mech, Metal, and lost terribly at his hands...er, claws. Things were peaceful in Traverse Town, a little too peaceful to be considered normal. As the night went on, all people who did not make it to the first district were either lost or transformed by the black creatures roaming around. Fortunately, our heroes were not part of those few. Silver and Storm were walking down the back way of the hotel in the second district. Silver acted very cautious at this time. Without seeing a single civilian in this district, he had reason to be suspicious.

"There aren't any people around." Storm said, fidgeting. "Sure is spooky, huh?"

"Don't tell me you're scared, Storm?" Silver smirked. "I thought you were supposed to be the captain of the guard."

"You mean you aren't afraid?" Storm asked nervously.

"Of course not!" Silver stated seriously. "I am the royal mystic of Babylon Garden. I am obligated to have to uphold not only am I to keep secret of over a thousand years of spells from outsider, but am expected to hold no fears. I am..." Suddenly, a hand tapped Silver on his shoulder. "HELP!" Silver launched into the air and landed in Storms arms.

"Not afraid, huh?" Storm snickered.

"Shut up!" Silver yelled.

"Excuse me, but did the king send you two here?" a young female voice came from behind the pair.

The two residents of Babylon turned their heads to gaze at the owner of the voice. She was an echidna girl, no younger then them, had light peach fur, and seven dreadlock-like quills hanging from her head. She wore a traditional tribal dress with beige, green, and red triangle patterns, a white sleeveless shirt, and white sandals with white straps. She also had blue wrist rings, golden necklace, tiara, and white bandages around many of her head quills. She was obviously no threat to the heroes.

"So are you two from Babylon Garden?" the echidna girl asked.

Silver looked suspicious and the young girl as he jumped out of Storm's arms.

"Yes and how did you know?" Silver questioned.

"Oh, please forgive me for startling you." the echidna apologized, bowing to the two in forgiveness. "You see, Metal told me that..."

"Hold on, you know Metal?" Silver interrupted in his own gesture of surprise.

"Uh-huh, I am a good friend of his. My name is Tikal the Echidna." Tikal ceremoniously bowed to the heroes as she introduced herself. "Metal asked for me to look for two heroes from Babylon to help search for the key."

"Thank Babylon." Silver sighed in relief as he realized that their seemingly never-ending search would soon be over.

"So, do you know where this key guy is?" Storm asked until Silver elbowed him in the gut. "What was that for?"

"Don't be rude. She was kind enough to introduce herself, so we must do the same." Silver growled at his friend. Silver stepped up and bowed to Tikal. "Forgive my friend. My name is Silver the Hedgehog, royal mystic of Babylon Garden." Silver then pointed to the large Albatross. "And that's Storm, captain of the guard."

"Hi." Storm waved.

"It is truly an honor to finally meet you two. Please, follow me before those black creatures show up again." Tikal said.

"What black creatures?" Storm asked.

"All will be explained momentarily." Tikal said before she entered through the back door of the hotel.

"Are you sure we can trust her?" Storm asked.

"Do we have a choice?" Silver replied.

Still having their doubts about their new friend, the two heroes walked through the door that Tikal went through. When they closed the door behind them, they found themselves in one of the empty hotel rooms. The room was decorated in red and displayed for Chinese style. They found Tikal sitting at the foot of the bed.

"Ok, start talking." Silver demanded.

Tikal sighed. Meanwhile, Sonic was lying in the darkness, too stunned to move. He could clearly recall everything that had happened to him in the past few hours. He had a dream about the black creatures, he met a clocked man in the secret place, he fought the Darkside and won, he landed in a new world, and he battled against a mechanical warrior and lost. It all became so clear to him, but he could help wonder what had become of his friends. What happened to Amy and Espio? Before he could even process the answers, a flash of light engulfed him.

Sonic groggily opened his eyes to gaze at his surroundings. He was lying on a bed inside the hotel he saw earlier. As he looked around, his blurry vision could distinctly make out the green and tan walls, the table in the center, the dresser near he wall, and a small clock hanging over the door.

"It's about time you woke up." Sonic knew that voice. As his vision slowly became clearer, he could see Amy standing next to him. "You okay?"

"I think so." Sonic said tiredly.

"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade." Amy explained. "Bit it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."

"How do you know all this, Amy?" Sonic asked.

"Amy, who's Amy?" the so-called 'Amy' questioned. Suddenly, Amy soothing voice turned young and more high-pitched. "I am the heroine-in-training, Cream the Rabbit."

Suddenly, a great flash of light passed over Sonic's eyes and Amy was replaced by Cream. Cream was standing only a couple inches away from Sonic, staring at him with her big eyes. Sonic took a moment to register what was happening before screaming in surprise and fell off the side of the bed. Cream giggled.

"That was embarrassing." Sonic muttered under his breath.

"Wow, that looked like it hurt." Cream turned to the door. "I think you might have overdone it all little, Sonikku."

Sonic crawled back up to the bed and looked to the door. He gasped in shock when he found that the person this girl was talking to was the same mech that attacked him.

"That's Metal, Cream." Metal corrected her.

"You?!" Sonic growled angrily.

Sonic tried to summon the Keyblade, but nothing happened. He tried again, but only met with the same result.

"Don't bother." Metal said in his usual calmness. "I have placed a spell on this room to prevent summonings for anyone other then me. Now will you sit down and listen, I will kindly explain everything."

Sonic sighed and did as Metal instructed. He looked near the door and found his weapon resting to the side of the wall.

"The Keyblade." Sonic muttered.

"Yeah, we had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures." Cream explained as she walked over to Metal. "It turns out that's how they were tracking you."

"Fighting you and taking the Keyblade away was they way to conceal your heart from them." Metal explained coolly. "Unfortunately, it won't work for long. They have already had a taste of your hearts power through the Keyblade. So no matter where you hide it, they will always find you." Metal grabbed the Keyblade. "Still hard to believe you of all people are the chosen one."

Metal held the Keyblade out and allowed it to disappear from his claws. It later reappeared in Sonic's hands.

"Well, guess beggars can't be choosers." Metal sighed.

"Why don't you start making sense!?" Sonic demanded. "What's going on around here?"

---**Red Room---**

"ok, you both know there are many other worlds out there besides your Garden and this Town, right?" Tikal asked.

"Yeah." Silver answered.

"But they are supposed to be a secret." Storm said, covering his beak to emphasis his point.

"They've been secret because they have never been connected before. Until now" Tikal said, soon looking downcast. "When the heartless came, everything changed."

**---Green Room---**

"The heartless?" Sonic asked.

"The black creatures that attacked you earlier. Remember?" Cream said as she leaned back in her chair.

"Those creature who are created from the darkness and born without hearts." Metal recited.

"The darkness in people's hearts, that's what attracts them." Cream stated

"And there is darkness within every heart. Even yours, Sonic." Metal looked downcast at the shaken hedgehog.

"Hey, have you every heard of a person named Mephiles before?" Cream suddenly asked.

---**Red Room---**

"Mephiles?" Storm questioned curiously, scratching his head cluelessly.

"He was a kind hearted scientist that was studying the heartless." Tikal explained. "He recoded all his findings in a very detailed report."

"Can we see them?" Storm asked.

"If I could, I would gladly show them to you." Tikal said.

"What's wrong?" Silver asked.

"The pages were scattered everywhere." Tikal explained.

"Scattered?!" Silver and Storm exclaimed.

"To many worlds." Tikal finished.

"Hey, wait a minute." Storm suddenly had a miraculous realization. "Maybe the king went to find them."

"Yes, those were my thoughts exactly." Tikal nodded her head in agreement.

"We gotta find him quick!" Storm exclaimed.

"Hold on, the king sent here to find the key first." Silver stated.

"That's right, the Keyblade." Tikal said.

**---Green Room---**

"So...this is the key?" Sonic questioned while observing his weapon.

"Exactly!" Cream said.

"The heartless have great fear of the Keyblade." Metal explained. "That's why they will keep coming after you, no matter what." Metal moved to the door and leaned against the edge.

"Well, I didn't ask for this." Sonic stated.

"The Keyblade chooses it's master and it chose you." Cream explained.

"So, tough luck." Metal shrugged Sonic's problem off.

"How did all this happen?" Sonic questioned. "I remember being in my room." He was then struck with a sudden realization and jumped up off the bed. "Wait! What happened to my home? My island? Espio!" His voice lowered sadly at the last name. "Amy."

"You know what, kid? I really don't know." Metal replied

Sonic fell back onto the bed with a heart full of sadness. He lost his home and his friends. He and his friends had always wanted to escape the island for their own reasons. Sonic for his parents, Amy for her home, and Espio for just...Espio. but now, even if he did find his parents, it would be totally meaningless now.

"So...what do I do now?" Sonic asked sorrowful.

"You have to get ready for the future." Metal said. "Eventually they will find you here. but first, I think you should learn about the Keyblade's powers."

"Its powers?" Sonic questioned.

"Yeah, the Keyblade has the ability to unlock anything." Cream stated.

"And that's not all." Metal said. "Each keychain attached to the Keyblade gives it a new form and gives its user a different ability. For example, the current keychain you're carrying allows you the ability of super speed."

"No wonder I was able to move so fast." Sonic said, staring at the keychain.

"Indeed. Now let us join our friends in the other room." Metal said as he motioned to the door.

"Metal!" Cream suddenly screamed as she pointed to the right of the room.

They turned to see a soldier heartless appear, but Metal quickly disposed of it by kicking it through the window.

"Cream, run!" Metal shouted.

Nodding her head in agreement, Cream quickly ran through the doors. On the other side, Silver was about to reach the handle when the door suddenly flew open, slamming the grey hedgehog in the wall. Tikal instantly realized something was wrong and chased after her friend, Leaving Storm to pry Silver off the wall.

"Cream!" Tikal called.

As Sonic and Metal glanced they knew what had to be done. Metal made his way through the broken window and jumped over the ledge, quickly followed by Sonic. When they landed, they found themselves surround by five soldier heartless. Two heartless came from over the heads of the heroes, but they instantly knew they were there. The two blade wielders tightened the grips on the blade and swung backward to slash both heartless down the middle. The both swung to the side simultaneously to eliminate the heartless that were attacking from the sides.

"Whoa, is it just me or are they getting stronger?" Sonic questioned as he blocked a spinning attack from a soldier heartless, which pushed him back a couple of inches.

"There is only one way to get rid of these guys." Metal stated. "If we can find there leader and destroy it, the lesser heartless should go away."

"Where is it?" Sonic asked, cutting down another heartless.

"My sensors indicate that a great mass of darkness is coming from the third district." Metal said as he beheaded another heartless. "Use the key of speed to get there quickly!"

"Right!" Sonic exclaimed as he flipped over another soldier.

Utilizing the power of the keychain, Sonic revved into action and swept past the heartless with ease. Times seemed to have stopped for Sonic as he swerved around the black creatures and occasionally ducked under a few that were stuck in midair. Sonic pushed through the doors to the second district and ran across the large district before making his way through the doors to the third district.

"Good luck...Sonic." Metal uttered before returning his mind to the battle at hand.

As Sonic entered the third district, he noticed it was unusually smaller then the others. It had only one house, a small fountain, a broken pipe near the wall. Unknown to him, Silver and Storm had arrived a few seconds before Sonic, thanks to Silver's teleportation magic.

"Are you sure he is here?" Storm asked as he looked from the top of the building.

"Of course. My magic is never wrong." Silver stated.

Suddenly, two soldier heartless before them. Storm raised his fists, while Silver held out his magical gloves to them.

"Do you think these are the heartless guys?" Storm questioned.

"Only one way to find out." Silver said as he stepped forward. "Let's go, Storm.

Somehow, their plans went wrong and Silver and Storm were hurtled into the air. Sonic heard the explosion from above and looked up to see the two Babylonians headed straight for him. Sonic attempted to run, but unfortunately was too late when the tow landed on top of him. The three were smashed across the ground with Storm and Silver on top. Poor Sonic. Just then, the two noticed the Keyblade that Sonic held in his hands.

"The key!" Silver and Storm exclaimed.

Suddenly, the entire district began to shake. Just then, giant brick appeared out of the ground to block off every way of escape. The heartless then appeared at the top of the bricks and jumped down in front of the group. Silver quickly jumped, followed by Storm and Sonic, with the albatross helping the poor hedgehog up. The heroes expected the heartless to fight them, but surprisingly bowed to the ground and disappeared.

"Uh...did we win?" Storm asked.

"I don't think so." Silver said as he pointed to the sky.

The other two followed his hand to see a ton of purple metal fall from the sky. The metal bounced off the ground and formed a suit of armor floating in midair with two floating claws, two feet and a floating helmet. Sonic noticed that the armor had the same emblem on its chest as the other heartless. He didn't know why, but that emblem seemed very familiar to Sonic. Maybe it had something to do with his parents.

"Listen, kid." Silver said, snapping Sonic out of his trance. "If you really are who we think you are, then we have no choice but to fight it."

"Heh! Fine by me!" Sonic exclaimed as he gripped the Keyblade in his hands.

The heroes faced off against the metal menace known as Guard Armor. Guard Armor shot a flying fist to the ground, which the heroes easily avoided. Unfortunately, the second hand came around and slapped them to the wall. The heroes pulled themselves up and charged at the Guard Armor. Suddenly, the Guard Armor's hands started spinning around in circles. Sonic and Storm were thrown aside, but Silver used a barrier spell to protect himself and repel the hands back.

As Silver dropped the barrier, he failed to notice the separate feet heading this way. Silver was unfortunate enough to be kicked to the wall by the foot. As the feet came closer, Silver felt that he was going to die. Silver closed his eyes and awaited his imminent doom. But it never came. Silver opened his eyes and found Storm holding the feet away from his friend. The large albatross grabbed the feet by their ankles and threw them back at the Guard Armor, which quickly returned to their positions.

While Silver and Storm distracted them from behind, Sonic took the opportunity to slash the Guard Armor in the back of its torso. Unfortunately, the Guard Armor's head turned sharply around and spotted him. The Guard Armor's torso started spinning around suddenly spun around and created a whirlwind around its body. The whirlwind caught the blue hedgehog and spun him around before being thrown out onto the floor in front.

"Ok, this isn't working." Silver stated.

"What do we do now?" Storm questioned.

Sonic took the time to think. The Guard Armor could attack with separate parts of its body. Silver was able to repel the hands, Storm was able to stop the feet. And with the right timing...

"Hey, guys." Sonic said out loud. "I have an idea."

"And that would be?" Silver questioned.

"Just do the same thing you did earlier, only destroy them this time." Sonic said.

"Silver was confused for a moment before he realized what Sonic meant.

"Your smarter then I thought." Silver complimented.

"Yeah, let's get it on!" Storm shouted.

Sonic gripped his Keyblade and charged forward at the suit of armor. The Guard Armor launched his hand forward, but soon found that he was unable to move them. Silver was using his telekinetic magic to grip the hands tightly until he mentally crushed them to dust. With Sonic getting closer, the Guard Armor sent his feet to attack. They were only a few feet from the blue hedgehog when Storm jumped from out of nowhere and used his ferocious strength to crush the feet on impact. Sonic jumped at the torso. The torso attempted to create another hurricane, but Sonic used the power of his keychain to force himself to become faster.

"It over!" Sonic yelled.

Sonic plunged his Keyblade into the Guard Armor's helmet, ultimately defeating it. Sonic jumped up off the torso as it started shaking for a moment before it collapsed to the ground. For a moment, a bright light escaped from the torso of the defeated armor before it completely disappeared. It was over. Sonic and the others won the battle.

After defeating the evil armor, Silver and Storm confronted Sonic about their mission. They told everything. The king's disappearance, Other worlds, and finally, the search for the wielder of the Keyblade.

"So, you guys were looking for me?" Sonic asked.

Both Babylonians nodded their head yes.

"They too have been looking for the wielder of the Keyblade." A voice came from behind.

Sonic looked back to see Metal, Cream, and Tikal approach them.

"Metal!" Sonic exclaimed happily.

"Sonic, it would be a good idea if you went with them. Especially if you want to find your friends again." Metal stated.

"Yeah, you should come with us." Storm said excitedly. "We can go to other worlds using the Extreme Gear we brought."

Sonic took a moment to think about it. If he could go to other worlds, then maybe there was a chance to find his parents. Or better yet, Espio and Amy.

"I wonder if I'll find Espio and Amy again." Sonic thought out loud.

"Of course we can." Silver said.

Sonic looked happily at his grey opposite. Storm seemed unsure about Silver's comment moved closer to his ear.

"Are you sure, Silver?" Storm whispered.

"Who know?" Silver whispered. "But we need him to come with us to help us find the king."

"All right. Sonic chirped. "I've decided. I'll go with you guys and find my friends and your king!"

"Good to hear. The name's Silver." Silver introduced himself as he held his hand out.

"My name is Storm." Storm placed his hand on top of Silver's.

"And I'm Sonic." Sonic placed his hand on top of Storm's.

"All for one and one for all." Storm said.

Cream and Tikal smiled at the group, but Metal felt that things were only gonna get worse.

* * *

Meanwhile, at an unknown location, a group of sinister figures gathered around a small table as a black-purple octopus like-alien with a large, bright red eye floated above the table. The octopus then projected and image from its eye onto the table. The image showed Sonic and his friends as they prepared to leave. The first person around the table was tall man with long spiky black hair tied in the back. He wore white baggy pants with a red robe wrapped over the pants and a golden belt around his waist. He also wore golden gauntlet, boots, necklace and crown. 

"My, who would ever have thought that those three would be able to defeat that heartless." The saiyan known as Broly said.

The next man had blue skin and wore royal ceremonial garbs and golden crown that completely covered his head.

"Such is the power of the Keyblade." The Twili known as Zant stated. "The rats strength is not his own."

The next was a red and black robotic being with large amount of armor, a blaster on his shoulder, and a biomechanical hound by his side.

"Perhaps it would be wise to turn them into heartless." The robot known as Maxilos said. "That way they would be out of our way."

The next was also a robot with one eye and a large white mechanical mustache. The robot wore a red coat with skull gauntlets and a red pirate's hat with a skull.

"And the rat's friends are the kings lackey's" the pirate called Captain Whisker said. "Swoggle me eyes. They're all bilge rats by the look of them."

The last one last one was a bald headed human with snake-like nostrils and wore a long flowing cloak.

"Your not exactly a looker yourself." The dark lord Voldemort said.

"Shut up!" Whisker yelled as he raised his fist to the snake lord.

"Enough!" snapped a dreadful voice. The group of villains turned to see Black Doom in front of them. It was he who broke the barrier that separated them and brought them together. They knew it would be foolish to go against him. "The Keyblade has chosen him. Will it be he who conquers the darkness or will the darkness swallow him? Either way he could be quite useful."

The villains gathered around the image and looked intently at the blue hedgehog. They knew he was the only one that could stop them. They had only one choice: kill him.

* * *

Back at Traverse Town, Silver earlier gave Sonic the Blue Star II and was going over the fundamentals of the gear. 

"And remember, this thing is not equipped with weapons, so you will have to rely on your skill to save yourself." Silver instructed.

"Yeah, whatever." Sonic said, too busy riding around the district on his Gear.

'This kid is going to kill me. I just know it.' Silver mentally groaned.

Just then, Storm walked up to Silver.

"I just talked to Vector and Charmy." Storm said. "Apparently, the only world on their charts is a place called Budokai."

"Then that's where we'll go." Silver said. he then yelled to Sonic. "Hey, Sonic, time to go!"

Sonic turned his head back and then changed the direction to the gate. Storm opened the gate just as Sonic pasted by.

"He sure is eager." Storm said.

"Come on. We better make sure he doesn't kill himself." Silver said. Silver and Storm grabbed their Gear and jumped on to chase after the blue hedgehog. As the heroes left, Metal stood at the gate, watching them leave. For the first time in nine years, those three gave him something Metal had not felt in a long time: hope.

* * *

**Please, read and review**


	8. Enter the Dragon Ball

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Seven: Enter the Dragon Ball

As Sonic and his new friends traveled across the stars on their Extreme Gear, they soon came close to their destination. Standing on a large mass of land was a large grey coliseum.

"Whoa, what is that?" Sonic asked.

"According our navigators, that is Budokai." Silver answered.

"Uh...What is Budokai?" Storm asked

"Budokai is said to be home to the World Martial Arts Tournament." Silver responded. "Long ago, the King and Queen would travel to this world to watch the fights. Only the best of the best enter here."

"All right, sound's like my kind of place." Sonic said eagerly.

"Hold on, don't forget our mission." Silver said.

"Whatever." Sonic shrugged.

Ignoring Silver's continual nagging; Sonic dropped down and zoomed onto the new world.

"He just never listens." Silver nagged on.

Unwillingly, Silver and Storm also dropped down onto the world to follow their eager little friend.

---**Budokai---**

The Heroes set their Gear down and decided to travel around this new world first. They noticed it was mostly barren with the exception of the large coliseum and over a dozen dragon statues carved around the outer walls.

"Wow, guess these people really like dragons." Sonic said.

The heroes continued to look around and along the way; Sonic was able to find three dragons eggs that he promised Salla he would return. Storm then stepped on something and looked down. He saw that he had stepped on a random flyer on the ground. Sonic and Silver gathered around Storm as he picked it up off the ground.

"_The World Martial Arts Tournament! A chance to prove your skill and go up against the greatest fighters in the world. For registration, please see Master Roshi." _Storm read off the flyer.

"Sounds like an advertisement for some event." Silver concluded.

"All right! Let's hurry up and enter!" Sonic cheered.

"Hold on! What about our..." Silver trailed off when Sonic zipped through the coliseum doors. "...Mission? Ugh, why did the Keyblade have to choose him?"

Silver and Storm followed in Sonic's steps and walked up to coliseum doors and walked inside. Once inside, the heroes found a small stone room with a large pedestal on the side and a sigh that said closed in front of the entry way. On the left of the sign, Sonic saw a way-old man wear an orange coat, blue pants, green shaded sunglasses, and a large purple turtle shell on his back.

"Uh...Hey there." Sonic started to talk to the old geezer.

"Oh, great timing." The old man said, not turning his back to look at Sonic. "Give me a hand, will ya? Could you move that pedestal over there for me? I need to get this place ready for the tournament."

"But..."

"Are you even listening?!" The old interrupted by hitting Sonic with his walking stick without even looking. "Just do it already!"

"Grouchy old man." Sonic commented as he walked over to the pedestal. Sonic tried furiously to move the pedestal, but no luck. "Geez, how does this guy expect me to push this when it weight over a ton!" Sonic exclaimed.

Sonic walked back over the old man.

"Hey, that thing is way too heavy." Sonic said.

"What? Too heavy?" The old man exclaimed. He turned around to face Sonic. "Since when have you been such a little--" The old man stopped and looked down to see Sonic. "Whoops, wrong guy."

"Gee, you think?" Silver said sarcastically.

"Forgive me about earlier. I am Master Roshi, trainer of great fighters." The old man introduced himself. "This is the famous World Martial Arts Tournament. Great warriors come from all over the world to battle ferocious beasts and skill warriors. If you want to reserve a seat for the show, you'll have to go to the ticket counter."

"But we're not here to watch, we're here to fight." Storm said.

"What?" Roshi said in surprise. "You three think you can handle something like the World Martial Arts Tournament?"

"Of course." Silver stated. "We have handled things much worse then your pathetic fighters."

"And Sonic is super strong since he was chosen by the Keyblade." Storm said.

"Basically saying, we're all heroes and deserve a chance at this tournament." Silver said.

"You three, heroes? You three furry runts beat my best students?" Roshi exclaimed before breaking down with laughter.

"Hey, What so funny?!" Sonic shouted angrily. "I fought a lot of monsters before this!"

Roshi then walked over to the pedestal that Sonic failed to move.

"Hey, if you can't even move this..." He tried to push the pedestal, but had no luck. "You can't...call yourself...a hero." Roshi fell down, panting. "Ok, let's try this again." Roshi attempted to push the pedestal again when a loud cracking sound intervened.

"What was that?" Storm asked.

"That was my back." Roshi said as he attempted to realign his spinal cord. "Ok, so it takes more then brawn. Well, let's see what you can do. Please, follow me." Roshi motioned Sonic and the others to follow him outside the coliseum. Once outside, the heroes then noticed the mass of dragon-shaped scarecrows around the arena.

"How did we not notice those?" Silver questioned.

"Ok, the rules are simple." Roshi started. "Destroy ten scare-dragons in thirty seconds."

"That's it?" Sonic smirk as he summoned his Keyblade.

"That's it." Roshi pulled out a pocket watch. "Ready...Set...Go!"

By using the power of his current keychain, Sonic zipped past ten of the scare-dragons, cutting them down the middle with his Keyblade. When he was finished, he ran back to Silver and Storm's side.

"How was that?" Sonic asked.

Master Roshi looked on in shock. He was surprised to see anyone move that fast. He looked down at his pocket watch and saw that he still had twenty seconds left.

"It...Only took him...ten seconds." Roshi stammered.

"That wasn't so hard." Silver stated.

"You just got lucky!" Roshi exclaimed. "Now let's see you destroy all one hundred of the in only ten seconds!" the old coot laughed insanely.

"He doesn't need to." Silver said.

Storm and Roshi looked at the grey hedgehog in confusion. Silver walked up to one of the scare-dragons and tapped it on the head. Suddenly, not just that one, but every scare-dragon split in half, like they had been cut straight down the middle.

"What!?" Roshi exclaimed. "That's impossible! It's totally unbelievable!" Roshi turned to the trio of anthro's with a look of curiosity for a moment before motioning the heroes to follow him. The old man and anthro's returned to the stone room. "I must admit, Sonic, not everyone has that kind of potential."

"Look's like we're headed for the tournament." Sonic singed with a smirk.

"Afraid not." Roshi said.

"Why not?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Two words: You guys aren't warriors." Roshi stated.

"That's wrong!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Yeah, that's four words." Storm said.

Sonic sweat dropped while Silver came up from behind the albatross and smacked him upside the head.

"Leave the thinking to us." Silver said.

"Isn't there anything we can do to get in?" Sonic asked.

"Unless you have a pass, there is no way you're getting in." Roshi stated.

"But-"

"Forget it, Sonic." Silver interrupted and place his hand on the blue hedgehog's shoulder. "It isn't worth it. Let's go."

Sonic would normally disagree with Silver, but he knew he was right. Then again, he was always right. Sonic held his head down in disappointment and walked out of the coliseum with his friends following him from behind.

"I can't believe I went through all that for nothing." Sonic moped.

"Hey, there's always next time." Storm said in an attempt to cheer his friend up.

The heroes were making their way to their gear when a mysterious voice came from the coliseum entrance.

"Kind of a stubborn old hermit, wouldn't you say?" said a low, male voice. The heroes turned quickly to see Broly leaning against the entrance door.

"Who are you?" Silver questioned.

"Don't worry; I'm just someone that wishes to help you." Broly answered with a very convince tone of sincerity in his voice. "So, you want to enter the tournament, huh?"

"Yeah?" Sonic said suspiciously.

"Hey, don't be suspicious." Broly said as he placed his hand on the hedgehog's shoulder. "I have a present for you." he reached into his pocket and pulled out a tournament pass and placed in Sonic's hand.

"You're giving us a pass?" Sonic asked in surprise.

"It's all yours." Broly said with a convincing smile. "Good luck, kid." Broly turned and walked away. His smile turned to a malicious smirk. "I'm pulling for ya, you little shorty."

"Yahoo! We're in the tournament!" Sonic and Storm cheered.

"Why would he just give us a pass like that?" Silver said, still suspicious. "He's obviously strong and could win the whole thing. Why would he do that?"

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth, Silver." Storm said.

"He's right. Let's go!" Sonic raised fist to the sky.

The trio headed back to the Coliseum. Silver was still uneasy.

Roshi was finished put the final touches on the tournament lobby and looked prideful at his work.

"Well, that's done." He turned around to find the heroes were back again. "Not again. Get out of here!"

"No can do, old timer." Sonic smirked. "We're in it to win it."

Sonic handed the pass over to Roshi, who looked it over.

"What?!" Roshi exclaimed. "How did you get a pass?"

"It doesn't matter." Sonic stated. "We have the pass, so we can go in now, right?"

Well...I guess so." Roshi said. Sonic and Storm cheered. "We start with the preliminaries and work our way up."

"Not a problem for us." Sonic said proudly.

"Be careful." Roshi warned. "A lot of strange weirdoes have entered the tournament this year and things might not be as easy as expected. Better watch yourself."

"Got it."

The trio of heroes walked through the entry way and found themselves in the open arena. There were hundreds of people all around the square arena, waiting for the action to start.

"Wow, look at them all." Storm said, amazed by the amount of people that showed up.

"Stay focused. Our enemy won't let us rest for a single moment." Silver stated.

Just as the heroes entered the ring, a swarm of heartless shadow's and soldier's appeared on the other side of the ring.

"What?! They let heartless in here, too?!" Silver exclaimed.

"No problem." Sonic said as he summoned his Keyblade. "We can handle this."

"Let the first match of the preliminaries begin." Roshi said over the loudspeakers

As if on command, the heartless ruthlessly charged at Sonic and his friends with killer intent. The heroes jumped away as the heartless piled on the spot where they were. Two soldiers charged at Sonic, but the blue hedgehog used his keychain to zip past the two and slice them in half.

"Is that all you got?" Sonic mocked

"Silver clapped his hands together and concentrated as three shadows came at him. He reeled back his head and threw it forward to breathe a jet of flame that destroyed them. Storm basically crushed the heartless into oblivion with his fists until they were all gone.

"The winners: Team Anthro!" Roshi announced

The crowd cheered for the heroes' victory as they made their way off the stage. Later, they met up with Roshi again.

"So, what do you think?" Storm asked the old man.

"I must say, I have clearly underestimated you." Roshi admitted, much to the heroes' pleasure. "I haven't seen that kind of potential since I was training my former student, Goku. Maybe you do have what it takes to win. Lucky you came to me for couching."

But while Roshi was talking to the heroes, a creature the likes Sonic had never seen before passed by them. This new creature was humanoid and made entirely of water except for the glowing green eyes and the brain, visible in it head. The back of its head looked like two downward horns and three claws on its hands and two on its feet. Sonic and the creature exchanged glances for a moment before he entered the ring.

"Who's that?" Sonic asked.

"Not much is known about him, but he is very strong." Roshi said. "They say he has never lost a battle. It would be a good idea to watch his match and..."

Roshi was cut off when the crowd suddenly started cheering they looked to the arena to see the creature exiting the ring. As he left, the looked to his opponent was completely thrashed.

"He sure gets the job done quickly." Silver commented.

"Who know, maybe you'll end up fighting him." Roshi said. "But for now, we should get on with the next match."

"Sonic and his friends nodded in agreement. The trio made their way back to the arena to fight the next round.

Meanwhile, as Sonic and his friends fought in the tournament, they had no idea they were being watch from the top of the coliseum walls. The two that were watching them were Broly and the water creature.

"Ok, that little rat is your next opponent." Broly informed the creature. "All you have to do is kill him."

"The legendary super saiyan is afraid of a little rat." The water creature said with a small chuckle. "As amusing as that is, our deal was specifically stated that I..."

"I know what the deal was! I'm the one that made it remember?!" Broly snapped, turning his hair a slightly teal color. "I know I said you were only supposed to kill Kakarot in the tournament. But you must kill that rat to get to him. Think of it this way, by killing that rat, you'll be prepared for when our little deal is complete." Broly calmed down, returning his hair to normal. The creature merely jumps off the wall. "Hmm...Maybe I should have killed him when I had the chance. Then again, good pawns like him are hard to come by."

Broly looked out to the vast land to gaze at a gigantic monster.

Back with the heroes, Sonic and the other easily passed the other round and were now headed for the finals. The heroes entered the arena and stood firmly.

"You guys ready for this?" Sonic asked.

"Always!" Silver and Storm replied.

"I don't know what this guy can do, but we have to be ready for anything. It's do or die!" Sonic emphasized.

"D-die?" Storm stuttered.

"It's a figure of speech." Silver rolled his eyes at Storm's idiocy. How he became captain of the guard was beyond him.

Just then, the water creature jumped from out of the sky and landed in the center of the ring.

"The match will begin in one minute!" Roshi announced.

"Hey, before we start, it's normally tradition to introduce yourself before you fight." Silver suggested.

"My name is Chaos." The creature said. "I am the former guardian of the Master Emerald."

"I thought so." Silver said.

"You know who this guy is?" Sonic asked.

"Chaos, the guardian of the Master Emerald, the ultimate power source in the universe." Silver said. "This guy has existed since the creation of the universe. But what he is doing here is beyond me."

"I am here to kill you, Sonic." Chaos stated.

"Why me?" Sonic questioned.

"I have my reasons." Chaos said.

"Let the final round of the World Martial Arts tournament begin!" Roshi announced.

The heroes charged simultaneously while Chaos watched with an amused look.

"Pathetic." In a flash of light, Chaos disappeared and reappeared behind the heroes and pounded them to the ground.

Sonic flipped back up to his feet and swung his Keyblade at Chaos. Unfortunately, Chaos saw it coming and flipped over Sonic head and kick him in the back. Storm tried to pound Chaos, but he swatted them away easily. Silver clapped his hands together to concentrate another fire spell. But suddenly, Chaos came from out of nowhere and punched Silver out of the ring.

"Too easy." Chaos commented

Storm ran up behind Chaos and attempted to punch him, but the former guardian grabbed his fist from behind and hurled Storm out into the Stands.

"Storm!" Sonic cried.

"Now it's just you and me." Chaos said.

"Bring it!"

Sonic used the power of his keychain to activate his super speed and kicked Chaos in the head. Chaos was sent flying out of the arena, but the water guardian extend his claws and pulled himself back into the arena.

"Not bad, you little rat." Chaos said. "But play time is over!"

Chaos dive bombed at Sonic and slashed him with his claw. Sonic luckily held up his Keyblade to block the attack. The two pushed away from each other and ran forward to attack each other once more. Sword against claw with neither side of showing any signs of giving up.

"I...won't...lose!" Sonic gasped out with every swing.

"This rat is rivaling my own power." Chaos said. "Looks like I have no choice but to use "that" move."

Sonic and Chaos moved in for another clash when Chaos flipped over and turned red.

"Hey, what's with the color?" Sonic questioned.

"You're about to find out." Chaos' body started to glow until. "Chaos blast!"

A large red explosion escaped from Chaos' and engulfed the entire arena. Sonic couldn't move away fast enough and was hit full by the blast and thrown to the wall. Sonic weakly tried to stand up until Chaos walked up to him with his claw raised.

"If I wanted to, I could kill you right now." Chaos brought down his claw. But instead of killing Sonic, he offered him a hand. "You fought bravely and deserve a second chance." Sonic accepted the claw and stood up straight with Chaos. "I forfeit the match!"

The crowd started cheering. Sonic smiled for a moment until.

"Look out!"

"Wha?"

Chaos turned and saw giant yellow foot before it crushed him. Sonic looked up to see a giant yellow, bipedal dragon with two horns, purple scales on it legs, arms, and shoulders, red scales on its back and head, a long black tail with a spiked end, and black, insect-like wings on it's bacl\k. Broly laughed as he watched the battle unfold.

"Oh, I forgot to mention, accidents happen." He chuckled evilly.

Silver and Storm quickly ran to Sonic's side.

"What is that thing?" Sonic asked.

"One word: trouble." Silver said.

"Here it comes!" Storm exclaimed.

The giant dragon moved its tail and spiked it at the heroes. Suddenly, the dragon's tail stopped. The one that stopped it was a young black-haired human wearing a red karate gi with the kanji symbol of turtle on the back, dark blue undershirt, belt, boots, and wristbands.

"Goku!" Roshi cheered.

"Kakarot!" Broly exclaimed.

"Leave this to me. Master Roshi, get them out of here." Goku said.

Roshi, Silver, Storm ran back to the lobby when Silver noticed Sonic wasn't moving.

"Sonic, move!" Silver yelled.

Hesitantly, Sonic ran back to the lobby while Goku was left to deal with the mutated dragon. Goku showed a tremendous amount of strength by flipping the dragon over by his tail and slammed the beast into thstands before made a quick grab for Chaos. Meanwhile, the heroes and Roshi made it back into the lobby and fell to the floor.

"What was that thing?" Silver asked.

"That was Hirudegarn." Roshi answered. "But I thought Goku destroyed it long ago."

"He must not have done a good job." Storm said.

"I'm sure Goku will be just fine." Roshi said. but soon his face looked down cast. "Of course, last time, Goku nearly died. I'm not sure if he could pull it off again."

Sonic had enough. The Blue hedgehog stood up and made his way to the entry way. Silver and Storm understood what he was think and followed him.

"Wait! What are you doing?" Roshi questioned. "You can't fight that thing!"

"This is our chance to prove if we are true warriors or not." Sonic said. "That's for you to decide."

Roshi stood in shock. Just then, Roshi could see the heart and spirit of a younger Goku swelling inside Sonic himself.

"Very well." Roshi allowed them to fight. "Do me a favor and whip that dragon down to size!"

"You got it...Master Roshi." Sonic said respectfully

The heroes turned around and ran out into the arena. Meanwhile, Goku was holding Chaos over his shoulder while Hirudegarn moved in closer. Goku had nowhere to run. Just when things seemed hopeless.

"Hey, ugly!" Hirudegarn looked back to see the anthro trio. Sonic summoned his Keyblade. "Try picking on someone smaller!"

"Thanks, guys." Goku said as he ran into the lobby with Chaos.

"Don't worry; we'll take over from here." Storm said while he raised his fist.

Hirudegarn started the fight by sending his tail shooting down at the heroes. The anthro's dived away and Silver performed a series of hand signs before sending a volt of lighting at the evil dragon. Unfortunately, the lightning didn't seem to even tickle the beast.

"My spells aren't working." Silver said while he jumped back to avoid the tail.

"Then we'll just have to try something else." Sonic said.

Hirudegarn tried, once again, to stab the hedgehog with his tail. As it came closer to Sonic, Storm jumped in at the last second and gripped the tail tightly. Hirudegarn struggled to break free, but Storm was too strong. Taking his chance, Sonic ran up to the captured tail and cut it off with the Keyblade. Hirudegarn roared in pain as he was separated from his main weapon.

"Look's like that did it." Storm said.

How wrong he was. Hirudegarn got down on all fours and breathed out a wave of fire at the heroes. Sonic and Storm had no way of avoiding it. Luckily, Silver jumped in front and created a force field to protect them.

"Now what?" Sonic asked.

"We have to find a way past its flames." Silver said.

"But how?" Storm asked.

"I have an idea." Silver smirked.

When Hirudegarn let down its, Silver let down his barrier as well. Storm then somehow found a large boulder and threw it at the dragon's head. Too bad Hirudegarn swatted it over his head. Or was it? Without the dragon realizing it, the boulder disintegrated to reveal the one and only Sonic. Clearly, Silver used a spell to make Sonic look like a rock. Sonic fell down on to Hirudegarn's head and raised his Keyblade.

"Take this!" Sonic yelled.

Sonic brought his Keyblade down and stabbed Hirudegarn in the head. The massive dragon roared in pain and tried to shake Sonic off, but he wouldn't let go. After a few minutes of struggle, Hirudegarn fell to its knees and then flat on its face, dead.

"We did it!" Sonic cheered.

"Sonic!" Sonic looked over to see his friends run over to him. Sonic held up his hand and Silver and Storm slapped theirs against his for a high five.

A few minutes later, Sonic and his friends met Roshi and Goku, who were awarding the heroes for their bravery.

"And thus, I dubbed thee warriors in-training and confirm upon thee full rights for you to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament." Roshi stated. "Further..."

"Hey! What do you mean warriors in-training." Silver cut the turtle hermit off.

"You rookies don't understand what it takes to be a true warrior." Roshi said.

"So, what does it take?" Storm asked.

"Well, you'll have to find out on your own." Goku said. "Just the way I did."

"Then we'll start by entering in the tournament." Sonic stated.

"After the damage Hirudegarn caused, it will a while before the tournament can open again." Roshi said.

"All right, we'll be back." Silver said.

The heroes walked out of the door, leaving Roshi and his student.

"I still can't believe those three actually beat Hirudegarn." Roshi said in disbelief.

"Just between you and me, I had already worn Hirudegarn down before the little guy jumped in." Goku whispered into Roshi's ear.

"My lips are sealed." Roshi chuckled.

As the heroes made their way to their gear, they were happy to find Chaos sitting on the nearby wall.

"Chaos." Sonic said, bring Chaos out of his self pity. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah." Chaos answered simply.

"So...why'd you go along with that dragon?" Sonic asked.

"That dragon was only a servent to Broly, a legendary super saiyan with unspeakable powers." Chaos said as he stood up. "I helped him because I am looking for someone. Broly promised he would help me find that someone. I tried to exploit the powers of darkness, but it backfired. I was lost in the darkness and I couldn't find my light."

"You'll find it." Sonic said with confidence. "I'm searching too."

"For your light?" Chaos asked. Sonic nodded. Chaos walked over and patted him on the shoulder. "Don't ever lose sight of it." he said before he started to walk away.

"How about a rematch sometime!" Sonic called to Chaos. "Fair and square! No dark powers involved!"

"I like the idea, but I think I'll pass...for now." Chaos acknowledged before he disappeared.

"Sonic!" Silver shouted as he threw the Blue Star II to him. "Time to go."

"Right." Sonic responded.

The trio grabbed their Gear and jumped up to leave the world. Meanwhile, Broly was near the coliseum, holding a small figure of Goku.

"He's strong, he's kind, and he's always there for you." Broly mocked the people who said these things. "He's perfect. Perfect!" Broly crushed the figure in his hands. "Perfectly infuriating. I swear I'll kill him!" He yelled, releasing a huge amount of energy that created a crater where he was standing. His hair transforming into a fully golden color. After taking a few moments to calm down, Broly's energy and hair returned to normal. "All right, here's the plan. I'll let Kakarot train the Keyblade Master. So in the next games, I'll kill them both."

All of a sudden, Black Doom appeared behind Broly. Broly could easily detect him by his unique black energy signature.

"I thought I told you I could handle it here." Broly growl. "Stay out of this. This is my fight."

"As you wish." Black Doom said in his usual deep voice. "Fight to your heart's content."

As Black Doom disappeared, Broly realized that he had been ridiculed.

"When I find all seven Dragon Balls, my first wish will be to kill that three-eyed freak." Broly told himself.

* * *

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	9. The Desert Hero, Wes

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Eight: The Desert Hero, Wes

An hour ago, Sonic and his friends competed against Chaos in the World Martial Arts Tournament, but were utterly defeated. It was only after their loss that the heroes discovered it was only a set-up made by Broly. After killing his beast, Hirudegarn, Sonic and the others were making their way to the next world.

"_Man, the last world was awesome. I can't wait for the next._" Sonic thought. He then remembered what his mission was. "_I wonder if I'll find Espio and Amy soon._"

"Hey, Sonic, wake up!" Silver shouted. "We're approaching a new world!"

Sonic broke from his thoughts and looked down to the new world. It wasn't much really. All that was there was a large desert and a few random cities on it.

"What is that place?" Sonic asked.

"According to our navigator..." Silver pulled out is portable navigator and started examining the world. "...It's a place called the Orre region. It's mostly a desert barren wasteland."

"Do you think the king could be down there?" Storm asked.

"At the god-forsaken wasteland? No way!" Silver stated. "It would be better if we just move on."

"Hold on." Sonic interrupted. "There might be a chance that Espio and Amy are down there. Maybe we should land and check it out."

"Forget it!" Silver exclaimed. "We are on an important mission."

"Well I'm on a mission to find my friends!" Sonic shouted back. "And if you don't want to help me, then that's just fine!"

Sonic attempted to land on the world, but Silver quickly stopped him by grabbing his arm.

"Let me go, Silver!" Sonic demanded.

"You're not thinking straight, Sonic." Silver said. "Even if they were down there, there is an unlikely chance they would have survived this long."

"Then that's a chance I'll have to take." Sonic said.

Sonic grabbed Silver by the quills on his forehead while Silver tightened his grip on Sonic's arm. Storm watched in distress as his two friends were fighting against each other. Storm moved his Gear closer to the two fighting hedgehogs

"Hey guys. Don't fight." Storm said, hoping to calm them down. "I'm sure we can think of..."

Storm was cut off when Sonic's fist accidentally collided with the large bird's beak. Because of the blow, Storm lost his balance and left off his Gear, taking his friends along with him.

"We're falling!" Sonic screamed.

The three heroes fell closer to the new world, unintentionally separated from each other. Sonic rapidly fell down to the ground and created a hedgehog-shaped hole in the ground. Sonic weakly got up and crawled out of the hole.

"Ok, that hurt." Sonic moaned in pain while tending to his aching back.

Then all of a sudden, a large coyote fell from the sky and created a coyote-shaped hole in the ground next to him.

"They show way too much violence on TV these days." Sonic said. "Hey, where's Storm and the grey jerk?"

"Well, look what we got here."

Sonic turned around and found two people that were just looking for trouble. They were both bald and wore black pants and shirts, black headphone-like gear, and had the same red sleeveless jackets.

"I've never seen a pokemon like this one." one of the bald men said. "The boss is going to pay big for this one."

"What are you two talking about?" Sonic questioned.

"Aah! It talked!" The man said in surprise. Is surprised expression changed into one of sinister manner. "Oh, the boss is going to pay really big for this one."

Both men held out strange red and white balls that started out small and grew larger.

"Let's go, Whismur!"

Out from the ball came a round, light-purple creature with floppy ears and a strange beaded eyes.

"Come on, Duskull!"

Out from this ball came a grey ghost creature with a skull face and one red eye traveling between sockets.

"What are those?" Sonic asked.

"Time to put them to use." The bald man said. "Attack!"

The two strange creatures suddenly charged forward at the Sonic. Thinking fast, Sonic jumped over their heads and summoned his Keyblade. Once landing, Sonic bounced back and shot at the two. Sonic swung his Keyblade downward on the ghost creature, but the Keyblade surprisingly went straight through it.

"Huh?" Sonic questioned.

"That little rat sure is stupid." The bald man laughed. "Doesn't he know normal attacks can't defeat a ghost type?"

"Guess not." The other man sniggered. "Whismur, use hyper voice!"

The round creature known as Whismur sucked up a large amount of air before emitting a horrible, echoing shout. Sonic fell to his knees at the creature's voice. It hurt so much, Sonic thought his ears were bleeding.

"Nice work, partner." The other bald man complimented. "Now, Duskull, use will-o-wisp!"

The ghost creature known as Duskull created a circle of sinister white fireballs around itself and threw them all at once at the poor hedgehog. Sonic, still hurt by Whismur's attack, had not noticed the attack and was hit dead center in the chest. Sonic was thrown back a good five feet and slowly sat up. The two men and their pets were closing in on him and he couldn't move.

"Ha-ha, payday." The bald man said.

Both men reached out to grab him. All hope seemed lost for Sonic until a loud motor sound came from the direction to the side of them. Sonic and the men looked over to find a rusty red motorcycle-like vehicle with only one wheel, a small sidecar and a large engine as the body. Both men jumped back as the cycle came to a halt between Sonic and his opponents.

"Who are you?" the man asked.

"So, the sickening scum of Snagem still exists, huh?" a young voice came from the seat of the cycle.

Sonic slowly got to his feet to see who his savior might be. He was surprised to find a seventeen year-old boy with spiky, sand-colored hair, a white stripe across his face, and the creepiest pair of golden eyes. He wore black pants, a long blue coat, and a pair of silver glasses on his head. The most notable feature of him was the black-red machine attached to his left arm.

"Pick on someone smaller then yourself, you make me sick." The boy spat. "Espeon, Umbreon, time to get to work."

On command, a purple, fork-tailed feline with a red jewel in it forehead and a black fox with yellow circles on its forehead and limbs simultaneously jumped out of the cycle's sidecar.

"Let's finish this quickly." The boy said. "Espeon, Psychic. Umbreon, faint attack."

The feline's eyes glowed bright blue. Suddenly, Duskull was surrounded by the same blue aura as the feline's eyes and was thrown clear across the ground, knocking it out. The black fox just stood there for a moment before disappearing into thin air. Whismur looked confused for a moment. Then, the fox came back and headbutted Whismur away, knocking it out to.

"Wha? Who are you?" The man exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm hurt that you don't remember me." The boy mocked. "It's me, Wes."

"Aah! You're Wes!"

"Yes and if you no what's good for you, you'll leave now."

"Yes, sir!" The man said at the same time.

The two men scarcely picked up their creatures and ran away at lightning speed. Sonic was amazed at how someone so young could defeat the like of those guys. The boy known as Wes walked up to Sonic and got down on one knee to reach his height.

"You ok?" Wes asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Sonic responded with a grin. "Those was some pretty cool moves. Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but I could have taken those guys."

"Clearly." Wes said sarcastically. "That was a seriously dumb move. Going up against Snagem members without any pokemon."

"Poke-whatta?" Sonic scratched his head in confusion.

"It's just like the king said." Wes suddenly said. "The one with the key will come to save our world. But why did it have to be a little rat?"

"Man, I'm getting tired of people calling me that." Sonic complained. Suddenly, realization dawned onto him. "Wait, you know the king?"

"I'll explain everything once we get back to base." Wes said. Wes turned to his pokemon with the same balls held out. "Sorry guys, but we need the room." The balls shot out red beams that recalled the pokemon back inside. Wes jumped on the cycle and asked. "Are you coming?"

"Uh...yeah." Sonic said with uncertainty.

Sonic jumped into the sidecar. Once Sonic was inside, Wes quickly started up his cycle and raced across the desert floor. Sonic struggled to see through the dust that clouded his vision with minimal success. Questions arose from the blue hedgehogs mind. Who was this guy? How did he know the king? And more importantly, where were Silver and Storm?

**---Orre Region---**

The scene changes to a dirty industrial town that lies in the center of a crimson canyon. The town was mostly known for mining rare minerals and its so-called high levels of crime. This place was known as Pyrite Town. Down one of the alleys, Storm was leaning against an old dumpster while Silver sat on top of the edge.

"I can't believe this." Silver moaned. "We've lost our only way of leaving this place and it's all that blue idiot's fault."

"Wow, this place is big." Storm said in awe. "I wish I knew where Sonic was so he could see this."

Upon hearing the name of the Keyblade master, Silver sent a spine chilling glare to Storm.

"We don't need the likes of him!" Silver growled. "We will have better luck find the king without that blue nuisance getting in the way!"

Silver turned his head sharply to the right to emphasize his anger. Next thing he knew, Silver came face-to-face with a yellow mouse creature with red ears and hands, a red tail with a plus sign, and red cheeks with plus signs on them as well. They were staring at each other for a moment before the two screamed at each other. Silver, caught by surprise, fell back into the dumpster. The little mouse ran away, dropping a strange gadget in the process.

"There you are, Plusle." A girl walked up to the rat and lifted it into her arms. "I have been looking everywhere for you."

Silver crawled out of the dumpster to find the troublesome mouse in the hands of its owner. The girl was a sixteen year-old with red hair tied in two short pigtails and two of the most innocent blue eyes imaginable. She wore a purple shirt underneath her blue and pink jacket, a white skirt, a pair of pink boots, and a golden pendent around her neck.

"Who is she?" Storm asked.

The new girl walked up to the two clueless heroes with a heart warming smile.

"Sorry about Plusle." The girl apologized. She patted said creature on the head. "He's a little wild and likes to wonder off."

"It's ok." Silver said. "It's not your fault."

"Oh, how rude of me. I forgot to introduce myself." The girl giggled. "My name is Rui."

"I am Silver and this is my friend, Storm." Silver pointed behind him to where the large bird stood, but he was no longer there. "Uh...Storm?"

"Over here." Storm waved over to from down the alley. He ran back holding the same gadget Plusle dropped while running away. "Look what I found."

"It's a component used for Extreme Gear." Silver analyzed. "And it' no ordinary Gear. This looks like something only the queen could create."

"Plusle, did you steal that from the nice Babylon king?" Rui scowled. The Plusle sadly nodded its head. Rui tried her best to stay angry, but it was too difficult. Rui smiled and patted Plusle on the head. "Aw, I can't stay mad at you."

"Wait?! Babylon king?" Silver questioned. "So does that mean the king is here?"

"Sure. Let's get back to the base and I can explain everything to you there." Rui said.

Rui let her Plusle dropped to the ground to walk and motioned Silver and Storm to follow her. The two heroes were hesitant at first, but then though.

"What have we got to lose?"

* * *

Not far off from the town, Wes and Sonic were crossing the desert, making their way to Pyrite Town. To pass the time, Sonic asked questions about the world and the creatures that inhabited it.

"So...the weird creatures are called pokemon and people capture them to fight?" Sonic asked.

"Pretty much." Wes answered shortly.

"So who were those guys that tried to capture me?"

"Those guys were members of team Snagem." Wes responded. "They are a group of petty thieves that try to steal pokemon from other trainers and sell them to the highest bidder."

"And how do you know all this?"

"I used to be a part of their team." Wes admitted. "But that was before I knew those monsters were experimenting with the pokemon."

"You really like those things, don't ya?" Sonic smirked.

"I could care less what happens to humans or any other creature." Wes growled. "But when you mess with pokemon, you'll have me to deal with."

Sonic crawled deeper into the sidecar, slightly frightened by Wes' angered state.

"_Note to self: never tick this guy off._" Sonic mentally suggested.

"We're here." Wes stated.

Sonic crawled back up from the sidecar and saw Pyrite Town coming up fast. Wes entered into the rusty old town and skidded his cycle sideways to halt in front of a regular old house. Wes jumped off the cycle and walked up to the door as it opened automatically. Wes looked back to find that Sonic still hadn't left the cycle.

"What's wrong?" Wes asked, slight agitated by the hedgehog's lack of co-operation.

"This is your base?" Sonic asked with a questioning look on his face.

"Yeah." Wes answered.

"Well, I was expecting something big and flashy." Sonic said. "Not small and rusty."

"Quit complaining and come on." Wes ordered.

Wes walked through the automatic door, followed by the reluctant Sonic. When he entered inside the house, it was just as he imagined it. It was just a regular boring house with a desk and a bookcase.

"Humph! Some base." Sonic mocked.

"There's a lot you need to learn, my friend." Wes said. He walked over to the bookcase and moved one of the books to reveal a small button behind it. He pressed the button, which caused the bookcase to move to reveal a secret stairway. "Things are not always what they seem."

Wes calmly walked down the stairway, closely followed by the ever suspicious Sonic. Sonic learned that the stairway led to a underground path that was surely to be the base he mentioned earlier. When they finally reached the bottom, Sonic was amazed that a place could exist. The base was comprised of a large computer, a table full of gadgets, and a waterfall gracefully falling into the small pond.

"Back already, Wes?"

A young boy with short, grey hair wearing a light-blue shirt, and dark blue shorts and gloves walked up to the older human.

"It would appear that the king was right, Silva." Wes stated. "The one who bears the key has arrived."

"Great!" Silva cheered. "So, where is he?"

Silva scanned around the room, but paid no attention to Sonic.

"Yo, kid, down here." Sonic addressed him.

Silva looked down and found the blue hedgehog. Silva looked utterly disappointed.

"That's him?" Silva asked.

"Unfortunately." Wes said.

"Hey!" Sonic snapped.

Sonic grumbled under his breath and walked away from the two to explore the rest of the base. Since it was small there wasn't much to look at. Sonic tried to turn on the computer, but the thing required a secret password. Sonic walked over to the table and scanned the objects on it. To his surprise, he found twelve eggs, but not just any eggs.

"Dragon eggs!" Sonic exclaimed.

"So that what those are." Silva said as he walked up to Sonic. "We knew they weren't pokemon and figured they had to be something else."

"Yeah. They're dragon eggs." Sonic said. "I promised someone I would bring them back. So, I really need them."

"Take them." Wes said in his usual emotionless tone. "We have no use for them anyway."

"All right, thanks!" Sonic exclaimed.

Sonic quickly gathered the eggs on the table and added them with the eggs he already had. With this, Sonic now had fifteen eggs. And adding the nine eggs Salla had already, that only left seventy-five more. Boy, this was gonna be a long adventure.

"Silva, where is Rui?" Wes said when he noticed his friend was missing.

"I think she went out into town." Silva said while he worked on his newest gadget.

Out of nowhere, Wes whacks Silva over the head with his fist and grabs the boy by the collar.

"And you let her go?!" Wes suddenly snapped. "You idiot! You know Snagem is after her! If they catch, I swear I will..."

Wes trailed of when he felt a pair of slender arms wrap around his waist from behind. Wes let go of Silva and felt his face turn red with embarrassment. Wes quickly jumped away and turned around to see the cheerful Rui giggling at his antics.

"Rui, how many times have I told you not to do that?" Wes exclaimed, his face still red.

"Aww, it's so cute that you were worried about me." Rui smiled. Wes looked away as his face became even redder. Rui then noticed Sonic. "Oh, you found a new friend too?"

"Too?" Wes questioned.

Just then, Silver came down the stairs and quickly became excited when they saw Sonic.

"Sonic!" Storm cheered.

"Silver! Storm!" Sonic also cheered.

Sonic and Silver ran up and prepared to hug each other in joy when they remembered the fight from earlier. They crossed their arms and turned away from each other with a loud "Hmph".

"Lively bunch, aren't they?" Wes commented sarcastically.

"So you're still here, huh?" Silver said angrily. "I was expecting you to run away and leave us in the dust."

"What are you talking about?!" Sonic argued. "You made a promise to help my friends. I will gladly look for you king, but my friends come first!"

No way!" Silver argued. "Our only mission is to find the king!"

"No, my friends!"

"The king!"

"My friends!"

"The king!"

"Enough!" Wes ended the argument. "Look, if we tell you about the king, will you all shut up?"

"You know where the king is?" Storm asked.

"He came here not too long ago." Rui said. "He came here to give us a warning."

"A warning?" Silver questioned. "About what?"

"He warned us that Cipher was beginning to rise again." Was stated.

"Cipher?" Sonic repeated. "What's that?"

"Cipher is an evil organization that was planning to conquer the world." Rui explained. "About a year ago, Cipher started experimenting on pokemon by artificially removing their emotions and turning them into soulless fighting machines we call shadow pokemon."

"Experimenting on harmless creatures and turning them into soulless monsters. That's just sick." Sonic growled.

"That's exactly what we thought." Wes commented. "So, Rui and I traveled all over Orre to recapture the shadow pokemon, thanks to Rui's ability."

"Ability?" Storm questioned.

"Yes. When a pokemon is turned into a shadow pokemon, it gives off a strange aura that only I can see." Rui explained. "With my ability, Wes was able to find them and purify them with the snag machine."

"Snag machine?" Sonic questioned.

"She is referring to this." Wes said as he pointed to the machine on his left arm. "The snag machine was created by cipher to steal pokemon that were already owned by trainers. After hearing this, I quickly stole it and used it against them."

"Nice work!" Sonic said with a thumbs up.

"Ok, we are getting way off topic." Silver said. "Just exactly what did the king say when he warned you about them?"

"He said that Cipher was using some kind of magic to turn pokemon evil without the use of a machine." Wes explained. "He also said that some great darkness would be coming after Rui. We figure they wanted her abilities, but the king said that wasn't it. They have some alternative motive for wanting Rui. But the question is what?"

The heroes tried to figure out what they would want Rui for, but couldn't think of anything. All Sonic and his friends knew it had something to do with the heartless. Suddenly, a loud pounding sound came from the secret entrance of the base.

"Cipher!" Silva exclaimed. "But how did they find us?"

"I don't think its Cipher, kid." Silver said.

Then, the secret entrance broke down and a swarm of black vulture with the heartless emblem called Vulcus entered.

"Heartless!" Sonic exclaimed.

Sonic tried to summon his Keyblade, but Wes jumped in front of them.

"Leave them to me." Wes said. He pulled out the item Sonic knew as a pokeball and threw forward. "Come out, Forretress!"

A bright light escaped from the ball and formed into silver clam-like creature pink spike coming out of the sides.

"Forretress, rapid spin!" Wes ordered.

Forretress retracted its spikes and closed its shell before starting to spin around like a twister. Forretress flew past the Vulcus and destroyed all of them in its hard shell.

Good work, Forretress." Wes complemented. "Return." The shell creature was hit by the red beam and returned to the safety of its ball. "So, those are the things after Rui?"

"Yeah, and if their working for this Cipher thing, then we have to find them quick." Silver said.

"Right, the best place to look would be in their old base: Realgam Tower." Wes said.

With their priorities straight, Wes an Rui jumped into Wes' cycle and raced off into the desert. Not far behind, Sonic and his friends used their Extreme Gear, which Storm amazingly kept safe, and followed them.

* * *

Meanwhile, the scene changes to a place called Eclo Canyon. Hidden by the canyon was a small base that seemed to have been destroyed by a large explosion. The base was the former hideout of Team Snagem. Inside, the member from earlier ran into their boss's office.

"Nascour, sir!" The man saluted. "We have word about Wes, sir."

The chair turned around to reveal a sinister looking man with wiry, white, serpentine hair and wore a dark purple uniform.

"And, what have you learned?" Nascour questioned.

"Sir, Wes is making his way to Realgem Tower with the girl as planned, sir." The bald man said. "Also, they are traveling with a group of creature. We suspect they aren't pokemon."

"Not pokemon, eh?" Nascour pondered for a moment. "Leave me. I have important matters to deal with."

The bald man saluted to Nascour before exiting through the door. Nascour sat motionless from a few minutes then raised his hands and snapped his fingers. Vulcus then appeared around the evil man.

"I don't know what you are, but you seem to be the only creatures that I can rely on." Nascour stated. "I want you to find this person." Nascour threw a photo and one of the Vulcus caught it in its beak. "Find him and bring him to me."

The vulture heartless bowed their head, understanding what their mission was. The Vulcus' disappeared, leaving Nascour alone with his solitude. Nascour held up at a picture of Wes standing next to a tall man when he joined Team Snagem.

"I think it's time we reacquaint Wes with and old comrade of his." Nascour said with a malicious smile.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	10. Cipher Strikes

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Eight: Cipher Strikes

Out in the desert, Sonic and his friends were making their way to the infamous Realgam Tower with Wes and Rui leading the way.

"So, how much longer until we reach this tower place?" Sonic asked.

"It shouldn't be long." Rui assured him. "We should be able to see the tower within ten minutes."

"Hopefully we can get there before lunch. I'm hungry." Storm said.

"You're always hungry." Silver stated. "For once, can you think with your head, not your stomach?"

Rui laughed at the conversation her new friends were having. Shortly she noticed the man riding next to her. Wes was quiet, really quiet. When you're around Wes for a long time, this would seem normal. But Rui knew Wes more then anyone. The only time he was this quiet was when something bad was about to happen.

"He really eats that much?" Sonic chuckled. "Its no wonder he's so fa..."

Silver suddenly slapped his hand over Sonic's mouth to shut him up.

"If you care about you life, you won't finish that sentence, idiot." Silver warned. "Trust me; you would not like Storm when he hears that word."

"Why?" Sonic asked. "What's he gonna do?"

Silver remained silent, still angry about their earlier spat. Just then, a gigantic fireball dropped from out of nowhere and landed in front of the group's course. Wes skillfully swerved his cycle around and came to a stop while the heroes fall off their Gear.

"Why is it always me?" Silver asked God.

The group was piled up with Silver on the bottom, Sonic in the middle, and Storm on top.

"Hahaha! Man, you sure know how to pick them, don't you, Wes?"

"You." Wes growled.

The heroes got from their little pileup and looked over to where Wes was conversing with their attacker. They were shocked to find out that their attacker was...Wes. Indeed their attacker was Wes and standing to his right was a red-black dog with two horns, a small skull pendent, and bones on its back.

"Two Wes'?" Storm questioned. "Oh, my head hurts."

"Rui, who is that?" Silver asked.

"That's Fein, a Cipher minion." Rui answered. "After we defeat Cipher a year ago, Fein disguised himself as Wes to ruin his reputation."

"And it looks like he's at it again." Wes said coolly.

"Aww, it's so good that you remember me." Fein said. "Now it's time for our little rematch."

"I have already defeated you once." Wes stated. "What makes you think that won't happen again?"

"I was anticipating that, so..." Fein smirked.

Fein raised his hands and snapped his fingers. The hero crew waiting for the copycat's attack, but noting happened.

"Uh...is that supposed to do something?" Sonic asked.

"Wes! Help!" Rui screamed.

The heroes looked back to see that Rui was grabbed by a giant Vulcus and was flying away.

"Rui!" Wes cried. "Skarmory, help Rui!"

Wes threw a pokeball that released large steel bird with a pointed beak and three red blades for wings. The steel bird known as Skarmory raced after the giant Vulcus until.

"Oh no, you don't." Fein remarked. "Houndoom, flamethrower!"

The dog creature called Houndoom ejected a stream of flames from its mouth that blew to the direction of Skarmory. The steel bird saw it coming and was able to push back far enough to avoid the attack, but at the price of losing Rui.

"What have you done with her?" Wes growled.

"If you want to find out, then you'll have to beat me in battle." Fein remarked.

"Fine!" Wes agreed angrily. "Skarmory, steel wing!"

The steel bird's wings glowed white and dived at the hellish canine.

"Using a steel type on a fire type? Man, you have really lost it." Fein remarked. "Houndoom, flamethrower!"

The fire hound once again released a stream of flames and sent it to Skarmory's direction.

"Just as I expected." Wes said lowly. "Now, Skarmory, sandstorm!"

Skarmory stopped in midair and flapped its wings to create a tornado of sand. The sandstorm blocked Houndoom's flamethrower instantly.

"What?!" Fein exclaimed.

"To make up for the type advantage, I use strategy." Wes smirked. "Now's your chance, Skarmory! Use steel wing!"

Just then, Skarmory flew straight through the sandstorm with its wings glowing brilliantly. Before Houndoom even had a chance to react, the steel bird brought its wing straight down on its forehead to promptly knock it out.

"Wha? No way!" Fein exclaimed.

With the battle finish, Wes recalled his pokemon after a job well done. Fein tried to run away, but Wes ran right in front of him and lifted him up into the air by the collar of his coat.

"Where is Rui?" Wes questioned. "Where is she? Who has her?"

"I-it's Nascour." Fein stuttered in fear. "Nascour has her at Realgam Tower."

"Who's Nascour?" Sonic asked.

"Nascour was the vice-president of Cipher until he took over after the real leader of Cipher, Evice, was placed behind bars." Wes informed the group. "If he has Rui, then that can't be good."

"There, I told you everything. Now can you please let me go?" Fein begged for mercy.

The group figured Wes wasn't the kind of guy to let this guy go off easily. But, to their surprise, Wes gently placed the imposter back on the ground. The fake seemed safe until Wes delivered a furious left hook to Fein's jaw and knocked him out.

"Come on. We've wasted enough time here." Wes stated.

Wes jumped on his cycle and took off without giving the others a chance to follow.

"Hey, wait up!" Sonic called.

The heroes quickly grabbed their Gear and took off after Wes in search of Rui and the mysterious Nascour.

* * *

Speaking of whom, Nascour was sitting in his new office he had acquired after Evice defeat at Realgam Tower. Standing on the other side of the desk was Rui being held with her hand behind her back by a taller and stronger version of the shadow heartless called neo shadows.

"Rui." Nascour started. "It has been so long since we have last seen each other."

"Not long enough." Rui said venomously.

"Ouch, that hurt." Nascour mocked. "It makes me sad that two old friends have to fight each other."

"We where never friends!" Rui exclaimed.

"Of course." Nascour said. "You were just a nuisance that had to be wiped out. And we would have done so if it hadn't been for that Snagem brat."

"You won't win!" Rui stated. "Wes will find you and rescue me!"

"I know." Nascour said. The evil minded man turned around in his chair to gaze out the office window. "We intended to use you as bait to draw Wes to us. What he doesn't realize is that we have a special surprise waiting for him."

"And that's where I come in." A new voice entered the conversation.

Rui looked in horror at the new person was. The man was bald and very muscular with a very long mustache and eyebrows. He wore a red sleeveless jacket, black pants, and two red gauntlets.

"Gonzap!" Rui exclaimed.

"Yes, I brought Wes' old boss to settle things." Nascour said. "Gonzap, Wes and some strange creatures will be arriving here shortly. Please do give them a very warm welcome."

"My pleasure." Gonzap chuckled evilly. "It'll be good to see the kid again. And this time will be the last.

* * *

At the base of the Tower, Sonic and the others were barely able to keep up with Wes and made it to Realgam Tower.

"Whoa! It's huge!" Storm shouted.

"Evice created it to draw wealthy aristocrats and rob them blind." Wes informed. "If I know Nascour, he will be holding Rui and the colloseum at the top of the tower."

"Ugh, why do bad guys always have to make the bases at the top of something?" Silver moaned.

The hero crew entered inside the tower and found themselves in the lobby. Last Wes had heard; the tower was turned into a gaming facility for trainers. But as the looked around the lobby, there wasn't a single trainer in sight.

"Where is everyone?" Wes questioned. "This place should be filled with trainers."

"Something tells me something bad is about to happen." Silver said cautiously.

"Wow, you must be psychic." Said a voice.

"Wait. I know that voice." Wes said silently. Wes and the others to see Gonzap coming down the clear glass elevator. "Gonzap!"

"It's been a while since you betrayed us, Wes." Gonzap said while cracking his knuckles.

"Let me guess, that's you old boss?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." Wes answered. "He is not to be taken lightly. His pokemon are as strong as he is."

"This is it Wes, my boy." Gonzap said. "This time I will be the one who comes out victorious."

"I don't have time for you." Wes said. "Tell us, is Nascour keeping Rui at the top of the tower?"

"Yes, he is." Gonzap answered with a chuckle. "But if you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me first."

"Sonic." Wes whispered. "You and your friends use the elevator and head up to the tower and save Rui."

"But..."

"Sonic." Wes interrupted. "I am asking you this because I have trust in you. If you truly are the Keyblade master, then please, save Rui."

Sonic wanted to help Wes, but knew that his job was important too. From the start of this adventure, Sonic always said that his friends came first. But now, he is being asked to abandon one of friends for the sake of the world. Coming to a decision, Sonic nodded his head and ran over to the elevator. Gonzap made no attempt to stop them and let them head upwards.

"Now it's just you and me, kid." Gonzap sniggered. "Prepare to be punished. Go, Armaldo!"

Gonzap threw a pokeball and summoned a large blue dinosaur creature with heavy-duty plate armor and two blades for arms.

"_Great! The one time I forget to bring a water pokemon." _Wes mentally kicked himself. "Well, it's better then nothing. Go, Typhlosion!"

Wes threw a pokeball and summoned a black and tan bipedal creature that had a ring of flames on the back of its neck and shoulders.

"Fire against rock?" Gonzap laughed. "You're really losing it kid."

"You forget; I'm crafty." Wes smirked.

"True. Now, let's get things started." Gonzap said. "Armaldo, water gun!"

"What?!" Wes exclaimed in surprise.

Armaldo opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful jet of water aimed at Typhlosion.

"Typhlosion, dodge!" Wes ordered. Typhlosion jumped into the air just in time to avoid the attack. "Now, use smokescreen!" Typhlosion released an obscuring cloud of smoke from its mouth that covered the whole area. "Good. This will buy me some time until I can come up with a plan."

"Hah! If you think that will work, then think again!" Gonzap shouted. "Armaldo, water pulse!"

"But that's impossible!" Wes exclaimed.

Within the smog, Armaldo created a ball of water from its mouth and threw it to the ground. The ball transformed into a massive wave that not only took out the smoke, but nailed a direct hit on Typhlosion. Typhlosion was thrown back and landed in Wes' arms.

"Typhlosion, are you ok." Wes asked his pokemon. Typhlosion was ok, but looked sad at his loss. "It's ok. You did your best. That's all I can ask of you." With that, Wes returned Typhlosion to its pokeball.

"Hahahaha! You're out of luck, kid." Gonzap laughed. "As you can see, my Armaldo has become much stronger then last time we fought. No to make sure you don't interfere again. Armaldo, Metal claw!"

Armaldo's blade hand glowed white as it charged forward at Wes. Wes had no time to call another pokemon and was helpless. Wes covered his head with his arms to await the attack, but it never came. Wes removed his arms and found that Sonic had kicked the Jurassic beast back.

"Sonic, what are you doing here?" Wes asked.

"I told Silver already. My friends come first." Sonic smiled and gave a thumbs up. "Together we can beat this guy."

"Right." Wes nodded his head. "Listen this guy is tough. Be on your guard."

"Don't worry." Sonic smirked. "With you guiding me, I can't lose."

"All right, enough of this!" Gonzap shouted. "Armaldo, use water gun!"

Armaldo again shot a jet of water at Sonic.

"Sonic, you have to dodge!" Wes warned.

"No problem." Sonic said confidently.

Sonic quickly summoned his Keyblade and used its keychain ability to move away at a rapid speed.

"B-but that's impossible." Gonzap said shaking.

"Wow, I obviously underestimated you." Wes said. "We could use that to our advantage. Sonic, quick, use that speed of yours and get behind Armaldo!" Sonic nodded his head and used his speed to move behind Armaldo before they had a chance to spot him. "Now aim for his legs!"

Sonic reeled back his Keyblade and swung it towards Armaldo's short legs. Instead of using the blade, Sonic used bashed it with the hilt. On contact, Armaldo roared as its one weak spot was exposed and forced backwards on its back. With it heavy upper body and hurting legs, Armaldo was pinned to the ground.

"B-but how?" Gonzap questioned.

"A pokemon like that does not deserve a trainer like you." Wes stated. "Without Rui, I don't know if it's a shadow pokemon or not. But I do know it's too dangerous for you to have."

Wes placed a pokeball in his Snagem machine arm and threw it at the weakened Armaldo. The Armaldo was sucked in by the ball and returned into Wes' hand.

"You...snagged my Armaldo." Gonzap said in fear.

"Next, think before you act." Wes warned.

Gonzap fell to the floor in defeat while Wes and Sonic walked into the elevator. Wes pressed the button and moved the elevator to take them to the coliseum. During the ride, Wes seemed still while Sonic was twitchy around his human friend.

"Sonic, you didn't follow your orders." Wes said seriously.

"Well I..."

"Thank you." Wes interrupted.

Sonic was taken back at first, but just smiled as he finally received respect from his new friend. When they reached the top, they found themselves in a wide white arena. They were shocked to find that Silver and Storm were lying flat on the floor, battered and beaten.

"Silver! Storm!" Sonic cried as he ran to their side. "Guys, what happened?"

"That guy...he's...not human anymore." Silver gasped weakly. "His...heart...is gone."

"Aww, not that was a little mean, don't you think?"

The two remaining looked on the other side of the arena, showing his creepy smile.

"Nascour!" Wes growled. "What have you done to them? And where's Rui?"

"Who knows? Last I saw of here, a black creature with three eyes took her." Nascour said.

"_Black creature with three eyes. Where does that sound familiar?" _Silver thought.

"But he was kind enough to leave me a little gift." Nascour said.

Nascour snapped his fingers, which caused the arena to shake. The floor started to crack until it gave way to a monstrous creature. The creature was a pure black dragon-bird with white marks over its eyes.

"What is that?" Sonic asked.

"It's Lugia." Wes said.

"Correction. It's Shadow Lugia!" Nascour stated. "That three eyed creature transformed this once calm beast into a monster of mass destruction.

"Transforming a peaceful pokemon into a monster, that is something that I will never forgive!" Wes exclaimed. Wes threw two pokeballs to send out Espeon and Umbreon. "Sonic, in order to win, we must work together. Are you with me?"

Always." Sonic said.

"Attack!" Nascour ordered.

Lugia flew low and attempted to smash the heroes with its wing. Sonic and Wes were able to grab Silver and Storm before Lugia crashed through the floor.

"That thing is way strong." Sonic stated. "How can we beat something like that?"

"Hmm. Espeon, Umbreon." Wes called for his pokemon's attention. "Keep on attacking it until I can spot a weak point."

The two pokemon brothers nodded their heads and charged at the shadow beast. Sonic followed their example and summoned his Keyblade. Espeon created a purple ray from the gem in its head while Umbreon kept disappearing and head butting the beast. Sonic also tried slashing it with his Keyblade, but everything proven futile. Lugia became quickly annoyed and flapped its wings to shake them off.

"This thing's unstoppable." Sonic said.

Lugia summoned up a ball of dark energy in its mouth and hurled it towards Sonic. Sonic was paralyzed with fear and could not move. When all had seemed Lost, Silver jumped out of nowhere and pushed Sonic out of the way.

"Silver, you saved me." Sonic said surprisingly.

"Hey, what are friends?" Silver smirked before fainting.

"He has only delay the inevitable." Nascour stated. "Lugia has become a heartless monster. Nothing can stop him."

"If that is true, then we have no choice." Wes said solemnly. "Sonic, you know what we must do!" Sonic nodded his head sadly once he realized Wes' plan. "Forgive me, Lugia. Umbreon, confuse ray!"

Umbreon's eyes glowed purple, with had the same effect on Lugia. Lugia swerved around in a daze.

"Now's our chance. Espeon, use psychic to lift Sonic into the air!"

Espeon nodded its head and it eyes glowed blue and created an aura around Sonic. Sonic felt himself being lifted off the ground and thrown into the air towards Lugia's head.

"I'm sorry about this." Sonic said.

Sonic raised his Keyblade and hesitantly pulled it down to stab Lugia in the skull. Wes' heart broke as he watched a pokemon die with his own eyes. Sonic jumped off Lugia and landed next to Silver and Storm. Lugia fell aimlessly as its red eyes returned to normal and smiled, knowing it was finally free. Unfortunately for Nascour, Lugia fell towards his direction and had no chance to run, there by crushing him.

"So, it's finally over." Silver said.

"Yeah." Storm replied.

Wes walked over to the dead Lugia and allowed his head to fall. He might not look like it, but he loved pokemon. Killing one really hurt him. Sonic walked over to help Wes.

"Wes, are you ok?" Sonic asked. "I know it was hard, but it had to be done."

"I have no regrets." Wes said. Sonic looked confused. "All pokemon that exist are our friends. But, this one lost its heart. Without a heart, Lugia lost his way into the darkness and lost sight of the light. The light was friendship. Without a heart, you have no friends."

Sonic and Silver looked at each other with apologetic looks on their faces.

"Silver, I'm...sorry about earlier." Sonic apologized.

"I am deeply sorry as well." Silver returned.

Strom ran up to them and wrapped them in a big hug.

"All for one, right?" Strom asked.

"Hey, what's with the screen?" Wes asked.

The large video screen at the edge of the arena glowed brightly until it revealed a large keyhole. Just then, Sonic's Keyblade started to move of its own will and shot a beam at the keyhole. A loud clicking noise filled the air and the keyhole disappeared, leaving behind a Gear.

"A gear!" Silver exclaimed.

"But it's not the kings." Storm said sadly.

Just then, Plusle came out of nowhere and started snuggling against Silver's leg.

"Look's like someone has a new admirer." Wes joked for the first time.

"What?" Silver started to panic. "No way! Blaze would turn me to ashes." Everyone laughed at Silver's expense as he tried to pry the little mouse off his leg.

* * *

Meanwhile, Black Doom, Zant, and Captain Whisker were watching the heroes through the squid eye.

"What drew the heartless to that world?" Zant asked.

"The criminal did." Black Doom answered. "It was his lust for power that was the bait. But the bait was too tasty for his own good."

"Yeah." Whisker said. "He got crushed instead."

"A weak hearted fool like him could never control the heartless." Zant stated. "But the rat is a problem. He's found one of the keyholes."

"Fear not." Black Doom assured him. "It will take him ages to find the rest. Beside, he doesn't realize our other plans."

Yes, the princesses." Zant said.

"Princesses?" Whisker questioned.

With a snap of his fingers, Black Doom lit the room to reveal a shocking discovery to Whisker. Incased in a crystal case was Rui, along with the pink haired girl and the pink dragon from Sonic's dreams. The other two was a young girl with short green hair and long pointed ears. She wore purple pants, pink shirt, and goggles on her head. The other was a fourteen year-old girl with braided brunet hair and wore arctic clothing.

"As you can see, we have traveled to the dragon world, the precursor world, the avatar world, and the ninja world. All in the pursuit of finding them." Black Doom said. "With this new addition, we only need two more. Don't fail me, Zant."

"Failure is not an option." Zant stated.

* * *

Back at Wes' base, Sonic and his friends returned after their mission, but Wes still seemed down.

"So, you're leaving now?" Silva asked.

"Afraid so." Storm said. "But don't worry, we'll be back."

"You better come back." Wes said. "This is going to hurt my pride, but..." Wes walked up to the heroes and bowed to them. "Please, bring Rui back safely."

"Don't worry, we will." Sonic gave his signature thumbs up. "It's a promise."

Wes stood up and smiled for the first in a long time. Wes reached into his pocket and placed and item in Sonic's hand. It was a keychain shaped Lugia.

"A keychain?" Sonic asked.

"The kings thought it might bring good luck to you and your Keyblade." Wes said.

Sonic switch the keychains and watched as his Keyblade transformed into a white long blade with purple appendages sticking out at the end and two wings circling the handle.

"Cool!" Sonic exclaimed. "I can't wait to see what power this one has!"

"Farewell, my friends." Wes said one last time.

After saying their goodbyes, the three heroes took off on their Gear and made their way to the next world.

"Guess that trip was worth something after all." Silver said.

"And it was all thanks to me." Sonic said smugly.

"Eh, you got lucky." Silver said.

"No way!" Sonic yelled. "It was my natural skill and you know it!"

"You mean the skill to get us killed?" Silver replied.

"Why I oughta..."

Silver and Sonic were once again fighting and Storm shook his head in disappointment.

"Here we go again." Storm said.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	11. Crash Course

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

**Note: Hello everyone. after planning the entire story out, I have seemed to have hit a dead end. I have planned a place for every world except 100 acre woods (Pooh's world). If any of you have an idea, please inform me right away.

* * *

**

Chapter Ten: Crash Course

Hours have passed since Sonic and his friends left the Orre Region, promising to bring Rui back to Wes. Silver's mind was still focused on the king's Gear and the other Gear they found on the previous world.

"It's strange, really." Silver suddenly said.

"What is?" Storm asked.

"When you think about it, the king's intensions don't make sense." Silver said. "The truth of the other worlds is supposed to be secret, yet the king was entrusted Wes with its secret."

"Maybe it just slipped." Storm suggested.

"That is possible." Silver nodded. "But the other thing that's bugging me is how the king knew that the heartless would take Rui. Do you think the King knows something we don't?"

"Aw, you're thinking too much." Sonic laughed. Sonic sped past Silver and stole the new Gear right from out of his hand. "So you said that this Gear is different?"

"Yeah, not even the queen makes that kind of Gear." Silver stated.

"Maybe we should ask Metal about it?" Storm suggested.

"Those were my thoughts exactly." Silver said as he pulled out his portable navigator. "According to this we should reach the next world very soon. After that, we should have a direct course to Traverse Town."

"Hey, is that it?" Storm asked.

The heroes looked down on the new world. The world was a peaceful little island that reminded Sonic of his old home.

"What is that place?" Storm asked.

"According to the navigator, that place is Wumpa Island." Silver explained. "It is said that ancient witch doctor spirits reside there and watch the island."

"Sounds like fun. Let's get moving!" Sonic cheered as he recklessly dived down onto the new world.

"Sonic!" Silver called out, but Sonic didn't listen. But then again, when did he ever? "I swear, he is going to be the death of us one of these days."

Silver sighed in exasperation and reluctantly followed Sonic down to the new world. Storm had no idea what had just happened and just followed after his friends.

**---Wumpa Island---**

Sonic, Silver, and Storm touched down on the ground and set their Gear next to a nearby palm tree. The island was a perfect paradise, with the exception of the annoying island music.

"Ok, we're here. Now what do we do?" Sonic asked.

"Let's take a moment to think before we react." Silver suggested.

The group grew silent and tried to concentrate on their next move, but became very difficult with the annoying music in the background.

"Will you shut up?!" Silver yelled. "We're trying to think!"

The tribal band in the background packed up their instruments and grumbled something about hedgehogs and music haters.

"There, that's better." Silver said. The tribal band then ran past them screaming. "Looks like I spoke too soon."

The trees started shaking wildly around the group with several howling screeches following. Black monkey heartless called power wilds jumped out and surrounded the heroes.

"Man, don't these guys ever give up?" Sonic complained as he summoned his new Keyblade called the Lugia Blade.

The power wilds swung their arms around and threw solid blows directly at the heroes. Sonic and Silver easily jumped over their heads while Storm's tremendous girth bounced their attacks back. Sonic touched down and rebounded to strike two power wilds in the back.

"Another one bites the dust!" Sonic smirked.

Silver used his telekinetic abilities to hover in the air above the power wild's heads. Silver clapped his hands together and focused his energy to his chest. He reeled back his head and threw it forward to breathe a jet of flame that destroyed three other power wilds.

"Is it just me, or are these heartless getting weaker everyday?" Silver questioned while levitating to the ground.

"Yeah, they're no fun anymore." Storm said. Storm set his eyes on the two remaining power wilds and jumped up to crush them with his behind. "I wish something exciting would happen."

Storm's prayers were answered when a whistling sound filled the air. The heroes looked around the area before looking up to an object falling from the sky. The object then landed in from of the heroes and created a human-like hole in the ground.

"There's something you don't see every day." Sonic said weirdly.

"Actually, we see that a lot." Storm stated.

The creature crawled out of the hole to reveal itself. The creature was a large orange bandicoot with black tuft of hair and black tattoos on his hands (As seen in Crash of the Titans). It wore a pair of blue jeans and dark-red shoes. The creature scratched its head, apparently confused. The tribal band started to play again.

"Shut up!" Silver yelled.

The tribal band once again packed up their thing and complained.

"Uh...hi." Sonic said awkwardly. The creature made no response, it just kept scratching. "Can you hear me?"

"He won't talk. He's a mute." An unknown voice said.

The heroes looked to the sky to gaze upon a floating mask with five multi-colored feathers on its head and green hair growing on the sides.

"Ahh! Talking floating head!" Storm screamed. Storm ran and cowered behind Sonic. "Save me!"

"It's not a floating head." Silver explained. "It's obviously a voodoo mask spirit. Right?"

"That is correct." The mask spirit said. "You are quite intellectual for such a young age. My name is Aku-Aku." Aku-Aku motioned to the scratching bandicoot. "And that is Crash."

"What's wrong with him?" Sonic asked.

"He has flees." Aku-Aku answered.

Sonic and Silver quickly backed away from Crash, but Storm stayed the same since he had feathers, not fur.

"So, Aku-A...you know what, I'm just gonna call you Aku. Aku, do you know where we are?" Sonic asked.

"You are in the southern most point of Wumpa Island, in the ruin area." Aku said. The voodoo mask inspected the new arrivals to the island and then noticed Sonic. "It can't be. After all these years, you have finally returned."

"Returned?" Sonic repeated.

"Wow, I am truly impressed. It looks as if you haven't aged a day. Then again, you and your methods were always too unpredictable, Zoan." Aku said.

"Zoan?" Sonic questioned. "I think you're mistaking me for somebody else. My name is Sonic.

"Oh, my mistake." Aku apologized. "It's just that you remind me of him."

"Anyway..." Silver interrupted. "Why are you and Crash here anyway?"

"Crash and I are on our way to rescue Crash's sister, Coco." Aku explained. "She has been taken prisoner and now is put on trial by our arch-enemy, Neo Cortex."

"Then I suppose we should help." Sonic suggested.

"We can't Sonic." Silver stated. "We can't go mess in other worldly affairs."

"But we have to help them." Sonic pleaded. "If you were in their position, they would help."

"Fine." Silver sighed.

"Follow us. We shall lead the way." Aku said.

While the heroes followed after the mask and the bandicoot, they did not notice Black Doom high above them. With a wave of his hand, he summoned the octopus-alien from the sky.

"Find me the most evil being in this world and send him to destroy the Keyblade Master." Black Doom ordered.

With its mission given, the alien zoomed away into the darkest crevice of the island. Meanwhile, deep in the jungle, Sonic and his friends unfortunately came in contact with more power wild heartless.

"Geez, these guys just don't know how to give up." Sonic complained.

"These creatures have no logic." Silver stated. "So I doubt they even know what that means."

"Let's crush them!" Storm exclaimed.

"Wait." Aku interrupted. "Let us handle this." Aku floated next to Crash's head. "Look, Crash, evil monkeys. Go play."

"Play?" Silver questioned.

Crash was still scratching his fur when he noticed the power wilds. Crash gave a huge creepy smile and twisted his body around. He twirled his body the other way around and created an orange tornado. The bandicoot tornado charged at the power wilds and knocked them down like bowling pins. The heroes had maddening looks on their faces.

"The guy's insane." Sonic said.

"And it looks like he can't stop." Aku said when he noticed Crash twirling out of control through the jungle. "We'd best go after him."

And so the heroes after the brainless bandicoot. Crash, though he was in danger, seemed to be having the time of his life. The Crash twister eventually made it to the ruins of some old abandoned laboratory. Before he could run away any further, Crash smacked into the steel wall and pounded his face into it. The heroes eventually caught up with him.

"Man, this guy is more trouble then he's worth." Silver muttered.

"Believe me; you haven't even seen the half of it." Aku said. Aku inspected the area and gasped in shock. "This is it. This is the place where Cortex is keeping Coco."

"Oh good, I could use some. I'm hungry." Storm said, not realizing what it was he said.

The heroes and the Aku sweat dropped while Crash gave a hungry look as well.

"_Two idiots together; bad combination_." Silver thought.

"Come on. We better get inside and find your sister quick." Sonic said.

The heroes bravely entered into the abandoned lab to begin their search. Since Aku was the only one who knew his way around, he floated up front to lead the group. Everything seemed easy to them. A little too easy for their tastes.

"It's strange." Silver said. "Why haven't seen any heartless around?"

"Maybe they decided to take a vacation." Storm suggested.

"No, the heartless are relentless and do not give up as easily." Aku stated. "Their must be something of even greater power keeping them away."

"Hey, what's that?" Storm asked while pointing ahead.

Just up ahead was a room with a three large podiums. The first standing at the podiums was a dingo-crocodile hybrid wearing blue pant and a cylinder on its back. The next was large muscular tiger wearing military cloths. The last one was tiny man with a large head and barely any hair. He wore a simple lab coat and black gloves and boots.

"Who are those guys?" Storm asked.

"That is Dr. Cortex and his experiments: Dingodile and Tiny." Aku explained.

The heroes looked down to see a female bandicoot with long blond hair tied up on the ground. She wore blue jeans, a white t-shirt, and blue headscarf in her hair. Aku easily recognized the female bandicoot.

"That's Coco." Aky whispered, trying not to get caught.

"What are they doing?" Sonic asked.

"Quiet. Listen." Silver instructed.

"Well, it took a while, but we finally caught you, Coco Bandicoot."

"What going on? Why are you doing this?" Coco asked.

"Well, it all started when I was six years old." Cortex began to tell his life story. "My mother was planning to send me to summer camp..."

"I mean why have you captured me, idiot." Coco muttered the last part.

"You are to be put on trial for sending those black creatures to steal my heart." Cortex explained.

The heroes gasped at what they had heard. Apparently, the heartless were planning to take the short scientists heart and framed Coco in the process.

"That's insane!" Coco exclaimed. "I have nothing to do with those black creatures!"

"That's what they all say." Cortex ignored Coco's pleas. "Now as punishment, I will use the Evolvo-Ray that created you and use it to destroy you!"

"You wouldn't!" Coco cried.

"Of course he wouldn't!" Sonic exclaimed as he and the others jumped out into the open. "Not as long as we are around.

"Big brother!" Coco cheered.

"Grr! Crash Bandicoot!" Cortex growled. "How dare you show yourself around my base?" Cortex then noticed the other anthro's with Crash. "Do I know you? I don't think I created you."

"We're here to get Coco back!" Sonic shouted. "So hand here over.

"Uh, boss, can we talk for a moment." Dingodile asked. The three villains huddled together. "Boss, we couldn't beat Crash before. I don't think we can beat him with those guys around."

"Your right, we'll have to think of something else." Cortex contemplated.

Meanwhile, Sonic and Silver were waiting for the villains to finish up while storm and Crash were playing go fish.

"What's with these guys?" Sonic questioned. "They certainly don't act like villains. They're cowards."

"Whatever gets us out of here faster works for me." Silver said.

"Ok, we have decided." Cortex spoke. "We have decided to let Coco go free." The heroes cheered. "If you can bring back evidence that she is not the one responsible for those black creatures."

"How do we do that?" Storm asked.

"You'll think of something." Cortex said.

The heroes left the lab with a promise to rescue Coco and started their search in the deepest jungle of the island. Sonic and Crash climbed up and down the trees, Storm searched on the ground, and Silver used his telekinetic powers to look through the skies. Along the way, Sonic was able to find nine dragon eggs, making a total of thirty-three eggs collected.

"Hey, guys, I found something!" Storm yelled.

"You're not the only one!" Silver shouted as he floated down to the ground.

"We too have found something of importance." Aku said along side Crash.

Sonic jumped down from the tree and joined his friends, who were holding boxes shaped like presents.

"Uh...what's with the presents?" Sonic asked.

"Maybe we should check inside of them." Silver suggested.

The heroes agreed with Silver's suggestion. The three opened the presents and held up the items inside. The items were the following: an antenna, a bottle of a strange fragrance, and a rock with claw marks.

"Whoever bought these has strange taste in gifts." Storm said.

"I think they might be clues to Coco's innocents." Silver said.

"In that case we better get back to the lab before they change their mind." Sonic said.

The group turned to run they were stopped by another group of power wilds. But this time, they brought back up. The bushes started to rustle and a new breed of heartless jumped out. The new breed of heartless was a group of tigers made of purple ooze and were called dark tigers.

"Looks like things got a lot tougher." Sonic said.

The heartless assaulted the heroes. The power wilds were easily dealt with because of their great lack of strength, but the dark tigers were much more trouble. Storm wrapped his arms around their heads in an attempt to choke them, but the tigers oozed their way out and headbutted him to the ground.

"Physical attacks won't work on them." Silver stated. "Leave these to me."

Silver formed his energy into his hands and released it to push back the tigers and splatter them to the trees.

"And that's that." Silver smirked.

Unfortunately, Silver did not notice the remaining tiger that hid behind them tree behind him. The dark tiger jumped out from behind its hiding spot and slammed on Silver's back. Silver fell from the weight of tiger and looked over his shoulder to see the dark tiger raise its claw over his head. The dark tiger was prepared to strike when.

"Silver!" Sonic cried.

All of a sudden, Sonic's Lugia Blade appeared in Sonic hand. An unknown force brushed against the trees and suddenly swatted the dark tiger off of Silver's back. The dark tiger flew back ten feet before splattering against a palm tree.

"What...just happened?" Sonic asked shakily.

"I believe it's you're new Keyblade power." Silver said. Silver got back to his feet and walked over to Sonic. "The Lugia keychain gives you telekinetic abilities." He places his hand on Sonic's shoulder. "I am so proud of you."

"If you two are quite finished, we have other affairs to attend to." Aku said. "Don't forget, we must save Coco."

"He right." Silver smiled. "Sonic, once this is job is done; I want you to do something for me."

"What?" Sonic asked curiously.

"I want you..." Silver paused for dramatic effect until. "...To be my apprentice."

"Are you serious?!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise.

"Silver was taught by the greatest mystic in all worlds." Storm explained. "Being trained by him is not something that just anyone can do."

"All right, I accept." Sonic said proudly.

Silver and Sonic shook hands for the first time as master and apprentice. After a long trek through the jungle, the heroes returned to Cortex's laboratory and presented the evidence to the trio of villains. Cortex and his lackeys looked hesitant for a moment, wondering whether to let them go or not.

"Well?" Aku asked. "Is this evidence good or not?"

After taking a few seconds, Cortex dropped his head and sighed. He then started muttering about never winning or something.

"All right, she's free to go." Cortex waved at them.

The heroes cheered for their victory. Crash walked over to his sister and released the rope that binds her. Once free, Coco jumped to embrace her loving brother.

"Aww, I think I'm going to cry." Storm said.

But while all the heroes were busy gazing at the loving family reunion, the villians were devising an evil plan.

"Boss, this is the perfect chance." Dingodile advised.

"Yes!" Cortex cheered. "Now I can be rid of those meddlesome bandicoots once and for all!" Cortex jumped on top of the podium and pulled out a miniature ray gun from his lab coat. "And now. Crash Bandicoot, our rivalry ends here."

"You can't do that!" Storm exclaimed. "That's lying and cheating."

"I'm an evil villian, what'd you expect." Cortex said.

Cortex aimed his gun and pointed it towards Crash's head. He prepared to fire unti Just the room began to shake.

"What's happening!" Coco screamed.

The roof started to give way and began to fall on the evil billians. Cortex and his lackeys screamed like girls and ran out of the lab as the debris fell on the podiums they stood at. From the debris came a gigantic wooden monstrosity wearing a red mask shaped like a skull with razor sharp teeth and six bones hanging from its head.

"It can't be. Uka-Uka." Aku gasped.

"Who?" Storm asked.

"Uka-Uka is my evil twin brother." Aku explained. "I thought I sealed him away, but somehow he got free."

"Yes I did, brother." Uka said. "And now, with this new body, I will crush you and those meddlesome animals!"

"Here he comes!" Sonic exclaimed.

Uka-Uka waved back his arm and threw it forward to create a mighty hurricane of winds that threw the heroes back to the wall.

"Ok, so this is going to be a little tougher then we thought." Sonic said in a daze.

"You don't even know the half of it." Uka boasted.

Uka-Uka's eyes started to glow red and shoot out several deadly lasers. Crash grabbed Coco and the heroes quickly jumped away before they were hit. Storm charged head first, but Uka-Uka merely kicked the bird back with his large foot. Silver and Sonic, using his Keyblade power, attempted to force back the evil mask with their telekinetic powers. But because of Sonic's in experience with these powers, Uka-Uka broke the psychic binds and used his eye laser to blast the heroes back with Storm.

"Man, he's unstoppable." Sonic said.

"Looks like this is it." Silver gave up. "Look's like we won't get to those lessons after all."

Uka-Uka chuckled manically as he made his approach to the heroes. The bandicoot could only watch as their friends were close to death.

"We have to do something!" Coco exclaimed.

"But what can we do?" Aku asked.

The two looked to the side to find Crash scratching his flees. Then Coco was struck with an Idea.

"Oh, big brother." Coco sang to get her brothers attention. "If you beat the bad guy, I'll make you pancakes."

Crash jumped up with a cheer at the word and started spinning like a tornado. Uka-Uka made a grab for the heroes when the Crash tornado came out of nowhere and buzzed off his hand. The tornado turned its direction back at Uka-Uka's body and started buzzing around his entire body. When the tornado was gone, Crash was standing next to a totem pole with Uka-Uka's mask at the top.

"Let...me...out!" Uka screamed from inside the totem.

"You did it, Crash!" Storm cheered.

"I guess that's one way to win." Silver chuckled.

"Congratulations, you three have done it." Aku said. "Without your help, we never would have found Coco and now Uka-Uka is forever trapped, peace can once again prosper. At least until Cortex tries to come up with another failed scheme."

The heroes smiled proudly until Uka-Uka's forehead started glowing and formed the shape of a keyhole. Sonic's Keyblade reacted and fired abeam at the keyhole to lock it. the keyhole disappeared, leaving behind a Gear.

"Well, there's something you don't see everyday." Silver said while picking up the Gear.

* * *

Later, the heroes met up at the shore of the island to say their goodbyes.

"Have a good trip. We'll miss you." Coco said.

"Same here." Storm smiled.

Crash walked up to the heroes and gave them a high-five since he couldn't talk. Now all that was left was Aku-Aku, who had remained silent the entire time and stared at Sonic.

"I just can't shake it." Aku said. "You remind me so much of Zoan, it's eerie."

"Well, if we see this Zoan guy, we'll tell him you said hi." Sonic said with his signature thumbs-up.

"May you be safe in your travels and let your hearts guide you home." Aku said wisely.

With that said and done, the heroes jumped on their Gear and shot up to the sky. The three looked back and waved goodbye to their new friends. They also laughed as Crash started spinning all the way back home for pancakes.

"You know, he might not be bright, but he is a good friend." Storm said.

"Yeah. He's so good; he even left us a going away present." Silver said in distress.

Storm looked back at his finds and found them scratching all over their bodies. Apparently, some of Crash's flees decided to move to a better location. Storm sniggered silently at the comedic scene his friends were making.

"Someone get a flea color!" Sonic yelled at the top of his lungs.

Meanwhile, the same black coat figure from Sonic's island was watching as Sonic and his friends left the world. In his hands was the mask of Uka-Uka. After one simple glance, the mask was shattered to pieces and a heart flew into the figures hands.

"So, they now know of Zoan, eh?" The figure said without feeling. He took the heart and consumed it within the shadows. "Looks like things are finally starting to get interesting."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	12. Return to Traverse Town

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Eleven: Return to Traverse Town

It was just a few hours ago when the Sonic and his friends landed on Wumpa Island and were greeted by the unusual combination of Crash and his friends. This world was marked as they greatest event for three reasons.

1. Sonic learned the power of his newest keychain

2. Sonic was honored to became Silver's apprentice.

3. The mystery of the mysterious Zoan emerged.

Currently, our heroes were headed back to Traverse Town to ask questions about the recent events with Metal. Along the way Silver decided to take the opportunity to begin teaching Sonic in the ways of magic. His first task: the element of fire

"Of all seven powers in the universe, fire is the second most difficult one to master. "Silver forewarned "To master the power of fire, you must focus all of your willpower. Then, visualize it in you hands."

"I think I'm getting it." Sonic said as a flame started to emerge in his hands. The flame started sparking after awhile, but soon became tame under Sonic's will. "All right, I got it!"

"And it only took forty-eight tries." Silver laughed. "Now they main thing to remember is to..."

"Hey, guys, we're here!" Storm interrupted.

Storm's sudden yell forced Sonic to lose his focus and allowed the flame to burst wildly. Both Sonic and Silver were scorched, but Storm somehow remained unharmed. Lucky bird.

"...Concentrate." Silver gasped out with a puff of smoke.

"Storm, is there a reason to nearly incinerated us?" Sonic asked while whipping the soot out of his fur.

"Look, we're here." Storm repeated.

The two hedgehogs looked past the faaa...I mean, big boned bird and saw the world Traverse Town not far away from them. But something seemed different about the town lately, but the heroes couldn't tell what.

"It's good to back here again." Sonic said happily. "I can't wait to see Cream and Tikal again. Though I could do without Metal."

"Well, too bed." Silver said. "We need him if we want to figure out the thing about those keyholes."

"All right, but try to lighten up a little, Silv." Sonic said before diving to the town.

"I told you never to call me that!" Silver screamed.

The trio landed outside the gate of the town and set their Gear to the side for later use. The trio opened the gates, only to be greeted with the site of the town nearly destroyed.

"What happened?" Silver asked.

The floor of the town was ripped apart and the walls were covered in cuts and scorch marks. A few of the buildings were destroyed, but luckily, Omega's wasn't. Many of the civilians of the busy making repairs to the damage.

"Who could have done such a thing?" Storm asked.

"It was a stranger that arrived out of nowhere." A random worker said to catch their attention. He walked up to the trio after wiping the dust off his hands. "A man in a black coat came from out of the shadows and destroyed the town looking for someone called the Keyblade master."

Sonic cringed at the idea of him being the reason the town was nearly destroyed.

"Besides wearing a black coat, what else did you notice about this guy?" Silver asked

"Well, there was something strange about his arms." The worker said.

"His arms?"

Yeah, they looked like two big black skulls." The worker described.

"Great, now we are fighting big guys with skulls for hands." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Well, I best get back to work." The worker said.

"Yeah, thanks for the update." Storm said. The trio waved goodbye to the worker before discussing the matter further. "Maybe Metal will know something about that guy."

"I doubt it."

The trio of heroes looked to their right to see Cream.

"Cream!" Sonic shouted joyously.

"It's nice to see you guys again." Cream said in her usual upbeat attitude. "How's the adventure going?"

"It's going great." Storm said. "We are kicking bad guy butt, left and right. So why didn't Metal fight the guy that attacked here?"

"Actually, he did." Cream said. "He got beat, very bad."

"You mean this guy beat Metal!?" Sonic exclaimed in shock. Cream nodded. "I didn't think there was anyone who could beat Metal."

"Where is Metal anyone?" Silver asked.

"After being beat, Metal went to train in his secret underground training area." Cream said.

"And where do we find this secret area."

"There is a secret entrance behind the hotel in the second district." Cream explained. "The Metal bars up the entrance so that no one disturbs him. You're going to have to break those bars if want to find him."

"That's all. No problem." Storm stated while pounding his fists together.

"I have to go see Omega and get some parts for Metal." Cream said. "Watch out. The heartless have been attacking more recently since that black coat guy attacked."

"No worries." Sonic smirked.

The three left the first district and opened the doors to enter into the second district. Every thing seemed strangely calm as they made their way to the back of the hotel. They found the secret entrance that was barred up just like Cream had said it would be.

"Don't you think it's a little strange that we haven't seen a single heartless?" Storm asked.

Just then, many neo shadows, power wilds, and Vulcus appeared from out of nowhere to confront the heroes.

"You just had to jinx it didn't you?" Silver said sarcastically.

Sonic pulled out his Lugia Blade and charged forward at the neo shadows. Sonic easily jumped over the heads of the monsters and lopped their heads off in the process. Silver sucked in a deep breathe and held it in as the power wilds jumped forward. With the heartless in range, Silver released a loud sonic boom that assimilated the ravage monkeys. Storm went the barbarian style and broke the bones of the Vulcus that came his way. When he was down to only one, he grabbed it by the neck and hurled it towards the caged entrance. With luck, not only did it destroy the Vulcus, but it also collapsed the bars as well.

"Well, that's one way to make an entrance." Sonic joked while cutting the last neo shadow in half.

"Man, these guys get more annoying every time." Silver said while holding the last power wild by its tail. Silver held his hand to the monkey and incinerated it with a fire spell. "We better get moving before more show up."

The trio entered into the entrance and found themselves knee deep in water. As they went farther, the water rose until the heroes were forced to swim across.

"It's amazing Metal doesn't rust with all this water." Sonic chuckled.

"Listen, do you hear that?" Silver asked.

The three listened in to hear what sounded like metal clanging and clashing. As the trio swan farther into the entrance, the three found that the water was lowering as the light started to get brighter. Soon they entered into a cave filled with green colored stones, a tapestry of the sun and moon and a giant emerald in floating in the center. They also found Metal practicing with his Spike Blade with Tikal watching.

"Hey, Metal! Long time, no see." Sonic called out.

Metal stopped his training and registered the presence of Sonic and his friends.

"Hey, guys. Good to see to you three again." Metal said. Metal shook Sonic's hand and scanned his power at the same time. "Nice to see that your adventures haven't gone to waste. You're definitely stronger then last time."

"That's right." Sonic laughed. "I am the Keyblade Master after all." Silver coughed loudly. "And I have been getting lessons from Silver."

"It must be quite an honor to be learning from the student of the universes greatest mystic." Metal said. "So tell me, what's been going on?"

From there he explained everything about the worlds he visited. He eventually he reached the subject of Chaos.

"Chaos is alive?" Tikal asked. Sonic nodded. "I knew it. The Master is still alive, which means Chaos is too."

"Hold on!" Silver jumped in and pointed to the large emerald. "That's the Master emerald?"

"What's the Master Emerald?" Sonic asked.

"The Master Emerald is a jewel of immense power." Silver explained. "They say whoever controls that emerald, controls the worlds."

"That is true, but the gods made sure that only one person of pure heart could control it." Tikal explained. "As long as Chaos is alive, so is the Master Emerald."

"Boy, them god's sure know how to pick them." Sonic mumbled, remembering their earlier encounter with Chaos.

"Anyway, back to the story." Metal interrupted. "What were you saying about a keyhole?"

"Oh yeah. Whenever we found a keyhole, the Keyblade would always lock it for some reason." Sonic continued. "That's a good thing, right?"

"That's a very good thing." Metal said. "You see, every world has a keyhole that opens to the heart of the world."

"Heart of the world?" Storm repeated.

"That is the heartless main goal." Metal explained. "The heartless try to find the keyhole and eat away at the heart."

"What happens if they do?"

"The world is destroyed." Tikal sighed sadly.

"What?!" The heroes exclaimed in shock.

"Now do you understand?" Metal asked. "It is your job as Keyblade Master to find the keyholes and protect them from the heartless at any cost."

"Great, no pressure." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you have what it takes to defeat the heartless and save the worlds." Metal said proudly.

"That reminds me." Silver interrupted. Silver pulled out the Extreme Gear they found in the other world. "This is an Extreme Gear part, but we don't know what it is. Do you?"

"..." Metal had no response.

"Maybe you should try Omega." Tikal suggested "He might know something."

"And take this with you." Metal said as he threw a purple stone to Sonic.

"What is it?" Sonic asked.

"I call it Dragon's Roar." Metal said.

"How does it work?" Sonic asked. Metal had no response. "Ok, we'll be going." The trio was prepared to leave until Sonic remembered something. "Hey, do you know a guy named Zoan?"

Metal and Tikal turned to Sonic swiftly with expressions of shock held on their faces.

"You know Zoan?" Tikal asked.

"Not really, but I heard of him." Sonic said. "Why? Do you guys know him?"

"Yes, we knew him." Metal said. "But it's probably best if we didn't tell you about him. Not yet."

Sonic was about to ask why, but Metal and Tikal walked deeper into the cave and out of sight. The trio walked back outside the cave and found themselves back at the alley. With the exception of a few heartless, the three heroes had no problems making it back to Omega's shop. Once they entered inside, the found the large robot standing at his usual spot behind the counter.

"Greetings, Sonic." Omega welcomed. "It is good to see you again."

"Hey, Omega. You're looking lively." Sonic joked. "Well, more then usual anyway."

"How may I be of service to you my friends?" Omega asked.

"We want to know what this is." Silver said as he held out the Extreme Gear part.

"That is a navigational part." Omega explained. "They are very rare and very difficult to find. It comes as no surprise that you did not recognize it."

"If that is true, then that means these parts could lead us to more worlds beyond the ones we already traveled." Silver started thinking. "Omega, can you have that part inserted into my Gear?"

"Yes." Omega answered.

"All right!" Sonic cheered.

"But..."

"Why is there always a catch?"

"I need you to deliver this book I just repaired." Omega held out an old book with a black cover to them. "Deliver this book to the house behind the fire door in the third district. If you were to help me with this, I will gladly insert the parts, free of charge."

"Now you're talking my language." Storm said.

"When you are done, meet me at the house in the third district." Omega said.

"Can do." Sonic waved goodbye.

After the heroes left, they started making their way to the third district. But as they were ready to open the doors, the earth started shaking and a loud toll could be heard across the town.

"What was that?" Storm asked.

"It sounded like a bell." Sonic said.

"Come on. We don't have time to waste with questions." Silver said.

The three walked through the doors and found themselves in the third district. It looked like it was still going through repairs after their last battle against the Guard Armor. Across from the area, they found a wooden door with the symbol of fire etched in the door.

"What's with this?" Storm asked.

"It looks like we need to use the fire spell to open this." Silver stated.

"Leave that to me." Sonic said as he prepared to use a fire spell.

"No!" Silver exclaimed. "Uh...why don't you let me do it?"

"Fine." Sonic grumbled.

Silver clapped his hands together and concentrated before breathing a jet of flame. The door opened up and allowed the heroes to enter an empty, circular stone room. Silver and Storm checked one side while Sonic checked the other.

"There's something about this musty old place." Sonic gasped in surprise and turned around. He was shocked to see that it was Amy standing behind him. "It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?"

"Amy?" Sonic said in confusion.

"Sonic?"

Sonic looked back to see Silver and Storm staring at him strangely. When he turned back to Amy, she was nowhere to be found.

"Where's Amy?" Sonic asked upsettingly. "She was just here."

"No she wasn't." a female voice entered. "It was just an illusion of the heart."

Everyone turned to the entrance to see a human with bright red hair and wore Arabian clothing and golden rings on her wrists. While Sonic was surprised by her sudden appearance, Storm and Silver stood unmoving.

"You got here earlier then expected." The human said.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked. "Are you a heartless?"

"Don't be an idiot." Silver said. "She's no heartless."

"She is Shahra the Ring Genie." Storm introduced the woman. "She held the king fight in the previous war."

"Yes and the king asked me to meet you three here." Shahra said.

"The king?' Silver asked.

"Yes. And who would you be?" Shahra asked Sonic.

"The name's Sonic."

"Good. Now if you let me get everything ready, I'll tell you why I am here." Shahra said.

Shahra floated in the center of the room and held her arm in the air. With a wave of her hand, the room was filled with a bright flash. When it was over, the room was filled with Arabian style décor.

"Wow, flashy." Storm said stupidly.

"The king sent me to find you guys so that I may aid you in your journey, by helping you improve on they Keyblade abilities." Shahra explained.

"The king, always thinking." Silver chuckled. "Oh, that reminds me." Silver reached back and pulled out the book Omega gave them. Omega wanted us to deliver this book to you."

"Thank you." Shahra said as she took the book. "This book was torn when I found it. its pages are scattered around the universe. If you can find those pages, I will be eternally grateful."

"No problem." Sonic said with his signature thumbs-up.

"Great. Now I can also help you if you hand me that stone Metal gave you." Shahra said.

"How did she know that?!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise as he reached for the stone.

"It makes sense." Storm said. "Silver and Shahra were classmates when they were learning magic."

"Silver sure knows a lot of people." Sonic said as he handed the stone to Shahra.

"That's what I get paid for." Silver said.

"You get paid?!" Storm exclaimed. "No fair."

Shahra traced her finger across the stone and looked at it with sad eyes.

"Poor thing." Shahra said sadly. "So young, so trapped. With a spell I will release its spirit and transform it into a summoning gem."

"What's a summoning gem?" Silver asked.

"A summoning gem is a jewel that allows you to summon help whenever there is trouble." Silver explained. "They are rare because they contain spirits of those who are lost in the darkness."

Shahra waved her hand and allowed the stone to glow. Suddenly, Silver and Storm disappeared and a ghostly figure appeared from inside the stone. In a flash, a small purple dragon with two yellow horns, a ridge of spikes going down its back, yellow wings, and a spiral tip on its tail.

"Whoa, what happened?" The small dragon asked woozily.

"Cool!" Sonic exclaimed. "A real live dragon!"

"Where am I?" the dragon asked. "What happened? Where's Flame? Where's Ember?"

"I am sorry to say that your world was destroyed by the heartless." Shahra said.

"Heartless." The dragon growled. "Those must be the things that kidnapped Ember."

Sonic looked down at the dragon sadly. He could understand losing his home and his friends. He placed his hand on the dragons head for reassurance.

"Don't worry; we'll get your friends back." Sonic smiled. "By the way, I'm Sonic.

"My name is Spyro." The dragon introduced himself.

"Spyro." Sonic said like he heard it from somewhere. Then he remembered. "That's right! Salla mentioned you before."

"Salla, the dragon nanny?" Spyro asked with excitement in his voice. "She's here?"

"Yeah, I was about to drop off some dragon eggs for her." Sonic said.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Spyro exclaimed and ran out of the room with Sonic trailing behind.

* * *

Later, Salla was sitting on the couch, waiting for the eggs to hatch, when the door suddenly flew open. She happy to see Sonic, but was even more happy to see Spyro.

"Spyro, you're safe!" Salla yelled joyously as she picked him up into a bone breaking hug. "I can't believe you're alive."

"He won't be if you keep that up." Sonic joked. Sonic took out the twenty-four eggs he collected and placed it with the other nine on the floor. "Only sixty-six more to go."

"Salla, do you know if Flame or Ember are around?" Spyro asked as the dragon nanny set him down.

"I am sorry, Spyro." Salla said sadly. "But besides the dragon eggs, you and I are the only one that I know escaped."

"Oh." Spyro looked down in sadness. "Even Ignitus, the Chronicler, and the other guardians?"

"I'm afraid so." Salla replied.

Sonic felt helpless as he watched his new friend's hopes being shot down at every turn. He then remembered Chaos.

"It's not over yet, Spyro" Sonic said.

"Huh?" Spyro questioned

"I have a friend that was able to survive the destruction of his world." Sonic explained. "If he could do that, so can your friends."

"Yeah, you're right." Spyro said with new confidence. "I promise, I won't stop looking until I find them."

"And I won't stop till I find mine." Sonic said with equal confidence. "And together, no one will stop us."

"Sonic, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Spyro said.

Sonic and Spyro shook hands of their new partnership. Together, they would take on any challenge that would head their way. But were they ready for the evil Black Doom prepared?

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	13. Finding the Keyhole

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twelve: Finding the Keyhole

Sonic and Spyro were exiting the second district after dropping off a few dragon eggs. Unfortunately, the two ran into a slight snag along the way. Out of nowhere, twenty shadow heartless appeared in front of the two

"Ugh, heartless. They never quit." Sonic complained as he summoned his Lugia Blade. "What do ya say? Ten for me, ten for you?"

"I think I'll take them all." Spyro said with confidence. Besides, I owe them for what they did to my world."

"Have it your way." Sonic said as he recalled the Lugia Blade.

Five shadow heartless jumped at Spyro, but the purple dragon countered with a flaming fireball from the mouth. Just then, five more tried to attack from behind when something out of the ordinary happened. Spyro suddenly span around on his tail and became an electric tornado.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed in surprise.

It was down to the last ten heartless. Spyro then breathed a blast of ice and froze the heartless in their tracks. And if you think that was strange, Spyro then summoned a green mace from his mouth and shattered the heartless to pieces.

"Now I've seen it all." Sonic said.

"Glad that's over with." Spyro said happily as he walked back to Sonic.

"Ok, time out! Foul! Offsides! Whoa!" Sonic suddenly shouted every sports analogy he knew. "What was that? I thought dragons only breathed fire."

"Some can and others can breath ice, lightning, and earth." Spyro explained. "Since I'm a purple dragon, I can use all these elements."

"That makes as much sense as everything else around here." Sonic said.

After handling the heartless problem, along with trying to get Sonics head straight again, the two entered the first district and made their way over to the doors to the third district. They were about to open the doors when suddenly.

"Whoa, I feel weird." Spyro said.

Spyro's body started glowing for a moment and then let off a bright flash. Last Sonic looked, Spyro was gone and Silver and Storm took his place.

"Hey, where have you two been?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know." Storm said.

"For once, even I don't know." Silver said honestly.

"Ah well, we can figure it out after we meet Omega at the house."

Agreeing with Sonic plan, the trio opened the doors that led to the third district. Just as they opened the doors, two neo shadows came from out of nowhere to block them off.

"Ugh, don't they ever quit." Sonic whined.

The three stepped up to battle. Suddenly, a purple blur passed by and destroyed on of the heartless. The blur then bounced of the wall and lobbed of the last heartless head.

"Ok...what just happened here?" Silver questioned.

The purple blur that killed the heartless suddenly stopped in front of the heroes. Sonic was surprised, nah, shocked to find that their savior was his best friend, Espio.

"It's about time I found you." Espio chuckled. "Do realize how long it took. I have been looking everywhere."

"Espio, is that you?" Sonic asked in disbelief. Sonic grabbed the sides of Espio's face and pulled in various directions. "Sure feels real."

That's because I am real, idiot." Espio said while slapping away Sonic's hands. "Don't do that again."

"I'm not dreaming this time, right?" Sonic asked.

"You better not be." Espio chuckled. "It took me forever to find you."

"Same old Espio." Sonic said. After a few short reintroductions, Sonic realized that someone was missing. "Hey, where's Amy?"

"Isn't she with you?" Espio asked. Sonic held his head down to answer the question. "Don't worry. If she's anything like us, she probably found a way off the island too." Espio walked to the center of the district. "We're finally free. And who knows, Maybe Amy's looking for us now."

"Doubt it." Silver mumbled.

"It will all be over soon." Espio said, ignoring the comment he clearly heard from Silver. "Don't worry. Leave everything to me." What Espio didn't realize was the shadow heartless that appeared to the side of him. "I know this guy..."

Espio was cut off when Sonic suddenly dashed to his side. Espio had no idea what happened, but Silver and Storm saw the entire thing. Sonic quickly replaced his Lugia keychain for the speed one and saved Espio's life in the nick of time.

"Leave it to who?" Sonic smirked with pride.

"Sonic? What just happened?" Espio said in the confusion.

"I've been looking all across the universe for you and Amy." Sonic stated. "I have challenged over a hundred monsters with these two helping me."

Espio looked funny at the two new comers. Well, funny at Storm, but serious at Silver. "So, who are they?"

"I don't think that really concerns you." Silver said.

"Silver!" Sonic exclaimed. "Don't worry about him. We have been traveling to many worlds to find you."

"Is that so?" Espio said. "I never would have guessed."

"And guess what, Sonic's the Keyblade Master." Storm said.

"Who would have thought?" Silver said.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"So this is called a Keyblade?" Espio asked as he held out the Keyblade he snuck from Sonic.

"Huh?" Sonic looked in his hand to find the Keyblade gone. "Hey! Give it back!"

Sonic tried to jump for the Keyblade, only to fall flat on his face when Espio moved away.

"Not a bad choice." Espio said while examining the Keyblade. "You really know how to pick them, Sonic.

Espio threw the Keyblade back to its owner.

"So, you're coming with us, right?" Sonic asked. "We've got these awesome things called Extreme Gear. Wait till you see it. The two of us together, we are unstoppable."

"Too bad he can't come." Silver said.

"What?" Sonic screeched.

"He can't come." Silver repeated.

"Come on, he's my friend." Sonic begged.

"I don't care."

"Hey, he's gone." Storm said.

Just as Storm had said, Espio was missing.

"Way to go." Sonic said sarcastically.

"It was his own fault." Silver said.

"Silver!" Storm whispered.

"It's ok, Storm. I'm not worried." Sonic said. "At least I know that Espio is ok. And who knows, maybe we'll run into Amy soon too."

The trio put the past behind them and made their way to Omega's place, unaware that Espio was still there. Once they reached the house, Sonic knocked on the door and Cream answered.

"Hey, it's you guys." Cream greeted the heroes

"Who were you expecting?" Sonic said.

"Well, you can't be too careful these days." Cream said. "Come on in. Metal and the others are waiting."

Cream stepped aside to allow Sonic and his friends inside the house. There wasn't much to it. All that was there was a table, a bed, and a couple of boxes. Tikal was sitting on the bed, Omega was standing, and Metal was casually leaning against the wall.

"Is this your headquarters?" Storm asked. "It's a dump."

Silver elbowed him in the gut.

"It's only a temporary base of operations." Omega stated. "Have you ever heard of Black Doom? Report's say he's in town."

"Black Doom? Sounds like a cheerful guy." Silver said sarcastically. "Who is he?"

"He is an evil dark lord." Metal explained. "He's the reason this town is full of heartless. Don't take him lightly."

"He's been using the heartless for years, gathering as many followers as he could." Tikal informed.

"_Then that Broly guy must serve Black Doom."_ Sonic thought.

"We lost our world because of him." Metal said. "Nine years ago, the heartless just one day showed up and took over. We lost a lot of friends trying to get away."

"My mom was one of the people who escaped." Cream said sadly.

"So, where is she now?" Storm asked. Cream and the others remained silent. "Oh, sorry."

"Even after we escaped, the heartless still came for us." Metal said. "One day, they finally caught us. The heartless took her."

"That's awful." Silver said.

"But there was hope." Tikal said. "Our ruler, Mephiles, dedicated his life to study the heartless. The reports he made could be the key to putting and end to them."

"So where are they?" Storm asked.

"They were scattered to the four corners of the galaxy." Metal said.

"But we have reason to believe that Black Doom may hold most of them." Omega stated.

Meanwhile, outside the house, Espio was standing next to Black Doom as they watched his friends from the window.

"You see, it's just as I told you." Black Doom said. "While you trudged aimless through the darkness, he quite simply replaced you with some new friends."

"How dare he?" Espio growled. "After everything we went through together."

"It doesn't matter to him." Black Doom said. "Now he values them far more then he does you. You're better off without that little rat. Join with me and I can help you."

"Help me?" Espio repeated. "Help me with what?"

"Why, find you're dear friends Amy, of course." Black Doom laughed.

"Tell me where she is!" Espio demanded.

"Patients." Black Doom said coolly. "All good things come it time."

As Black Doom and Espio disappeared into the darkness, Omega walked up to the heroes.

"I thank you for delivering the book." Omega said. "And while I was adding the Navigation Gear, I also added a Warp Gear to allow you to move at faster speeds and shorten the trip."

"Thanks, Omega. You never let us down." Sonic said.

While the four were chatting, Metal noticed that Tikal remained unusually silent.

"Something bothering you, Tikal." Metal asked, catching everyone's attention. "You've never been this quiet before."

"I was just thinking about the bell in the second district." Tikal said.

"You mean the one that rang a little while ago?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah, it's the one on top of the Gizmo Shop." Cream said. "Legend says that if you ring it three times, something miraculous will happen."

"Well, there's only one way to find out." Silver said.

"You mean we have to climb that big building?" Storm whimpered.

"You're not scared, are you?" Sonic taunted.

"Of course not! Out of my way!" Storm boasted as he ran out the door.

"What a sucker." Silver said.

The trio of heroes quickly exited the third district and found ran straight in the center of the second district. It wasn't hard to find the Gizmo Shop since it was the biggest building in the entire town. But the problem was how to get up to the top and ring the bell.

"Any suggestions?" Sonic asked.

"I...Got nothing." Storm said.

"When do you have anything?" Silver said. "Look, I'll just levitate myself up to the top and ring the bell myself."

"Sound's like a plan." Sonic said. "Good luck, Silver."

Using his psychokinetic powers, Silver lifted himself up off the ground and made his way to the top of the shop. Once at the top, he found the bell all boarded up. But this was no trouble for him. With a mighty blast of energy, Silver blew the boards and hit the bell at the same time. When he did, the wall of the fountain suddenly changed.

"Is that supposed to happen?" Sonic asked.

"I guess anything can." Storm said.

Silver took another shot at the bell and rang it once more, changing the fountain wall again.

"Good work, Silver!" Sonic shouted from below. "Just one more and we're done."

Silver reeled back for another blast, when out of nowhere; a Vulcus swooped down and nailed him in the head.

"Silver!" Storm cried out.

Silver quickly regained his balance in the air and faced with the Vulcus that attacked him. Unfortunately, that one multiplied into twenty Vulcus'.

"We have to help him." Sonic said.

Over a hundred neo shadow's suddenly appeared out of the ground.

"First, I think we should help ourselves." Storm said.

Sonic sliced two heartless in half and turned to block the one from behind. Sonic pushed it back and lopped off it head before back flipping over the heartless behind him. Sonic pierced the heartless in the back with his sword while side kicking another in the face. Sonic then quickly activated his keychain and zipped past the heartless, destroying them in the process. Unfortunately, more just kept coming.

"There's no end to them." Sonic said as he jumped back. "How are you holding up, Storm?"

"I've been better." Storm said.

Storm grabbed a heartless by its neck and slammed it into another heartless. When he wasn't looking, ten more neo shadow's appeared out of the walls and piled on top of the masculine bird. Thankfully due to his immense strength and his large uh...girth, Storm easily broke apart the pile up and body slammed them to the ground.

Meanwhile, Silver was having enough trouble in the air with the Vulcus.

"If I don't ring that bell soon, we could lose our chance." Silver said as he noticed the fountain wall starting to move back. I only got one shot at this."

Silver shot forward and dived right into the crowd of Vulcus'. The Vulcus attempted to shred the hedgehog to pieces with their talons, but Silver came prepared with a barrier. Unfortunately, the barrier didn't last long. When the protective cover was dropped, the Vulcus quickly grabbed Silver. In a last ditch effort, the hedgehog gather a sphere of energy in his hands and threw it at the bell. On collision with the bell, the fountain wall changed and the heartless suddenly disappeared.

"Ok...what just happened?" Sonic asked.

"Hey, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Silver said as he landed.

Just as they thought, the fountain wall turned for a final time and revealed a large keyhole in the wall.

"Hey, it's the keyhole!" Storm exclaimed.

"Better seal it up quick before anything else happens." Sonic said.

Sonic aimed the Keyblade towards the keyhole. But before he had a chance to lock it, a thin purple beam appeared out of nowhere and blast the ground in front of them.

"What's happening?" Storm asked.

"Aww, you missed."

"Don't worry, I won't next time."

The hero trio looked up to find their attackers. The first figure a human-insect being with sickly green and black armor, two black wings, and white skin. The second was a short, pure white alien with purple sections on his head, shoulders, forearms, and chest. Silver and Storm gasped in shock at who the second figure was.

"It's Frieza!" the two exclaimed.

"Who?" Sonic asked.

"Frieza is a planet destroyer." Storm explained. "Last we heard, he was killed seven years ago. But how can he be alive."

"Yes, he is alive. And I am sure you have heard of me, Cell." the other figure said. silence filled the area. "You know, Cell, the ultimate creation." More silence. "What? Do I have to blow up a planet to get some attention around here?"

"It might help." Frieza said.

"You keep your comments to yourself!" Cell shouted.

"And if I..."

"Hello." Sonic said to catch their attention. "We're the one's you're fight."

"He's right." Cell agreed. "We'll settle this after we kill them from the master."

"So, they're working for Black Doom, huh?" Sonic said.

"Sorry guys, but I can't fight." Silver said as he fell to the ground. "I used up too much energy."

Don't worry; we'll take over from here." Storm stated.

"All right, you little vermin, prepare to die!" Frieza laughed insanely.

Sonic took a swing at Frieza, who fell back from the sharp blade.

"I learned my lesson last time." Frieza said as he flew higher into the air. "I'm not going to die like that again."

"Again?" Sonic questioned.

Frieza pointed his index finger at Sonic and fired a thin purple beam at the hedgehog. Sonic ran like the wind away from beams as Frieza continued his assault.

"Once you're hit, you'll know why I call it my death beam." Frieza laughed.

"You know, that can really become annoying." Sonic said.

Meanwhile, Storm was punching up a, well, storm on Cell's body. But for some reason, the hits had no effect on the green monstrosity. Storm reeled back his fist for another punch, but Cell easily caught it.

"You really think such a puny power could harm an android like me?" Cell chuckled.

Cell lifted Storm effortlessly in the air and delivered a striking blow to the face that sent the poor bird skyrocketing. And if that wasn't enough, Cell blasted Storm and watched drop to the ground. Meanwhile, Sonic was still on the run from Frieza's death beam.

"What's the matter? Running scared, little rat?" Frieza laughed.

"I never run away!" Sonic shouted. Sonic exchanged his keychain and transformed it into the Lugia Blade. Sonic used the keychains power to levitate and fly towards Frieza. "And one more thing!" Sonic held his Keyblade above Frieza's head. "I am a hedgehog!"

Sonic brought down his Keyblade and slashed Frieza across the chest. This brought back memories of the golden haired swordsman that killed him. Out of frustration and anger, Frieza counteracted by bashing Sonic over the head and sending him plowing into the ground. Frieza gathered up his energy and started to form a red disk in his hands. Meanwhile, Storm was just recovering from his defeat from Cell.

"Man, that's gonna hurt in the morning." Storm muttered.

"That is if you live to see the morning." Cell said.

Cell came charging and jumped to deliver a flying side kick. Out of fear, Storm lowered his head and covered it with his fists. The next thing that happened was something you would only see on comedy TV. Cell's foot flew an inch above Storm's head and Storm's fist made direct contact with Cell's **(Due to censorship, I am not allowed to say)**. Cell was now lying on the ground, clutching himself.

"Either he's...A genius...or the luckiest...guy in the world." Cell gasped out.

"Guess who's going flying." Storm chuckled.

Storm grabbed Cell by his wings and started twirling him around before throwing him to the sky. Storm's accurate aim sent Cell colliding with Frieza, which disrupted his concentration and lost form of the disk. Frieza angrily pushed Cell away and punched him across the face for interfering.

"That's it! I've had enough of the meddlesome pest!" Frieza screamed.

Frieza raised his index finger to the sky and created a small spark at the end of it.

"Frieza, control yourself!" Cell yelled. "Remember what the master sa..."

"I don't care what that filthy monkey says!" Frieza interrupted. "I'll kill you along with the entire world!" Soon, the spark increased in size and transformed into a black-red ball the size of the moon. "Now die! Death Ball!"

"Frieza, no!" Cell screamed before having every molecule in his body totally eradicated by the Death Ball.

Sonic and Storm quickly jumped to Silver's side at the sight of their impending doom.

"What do we do, Silver?" Storm asked.

"For once, I don't know." Silver answered honestly.

"We're dead." Sonic said.

All had seemed doomed for the heroes and the town. Just then, a small ball of green energy swooped down from out of nowhere and blew the Death Ball to smithereens.

"What?!" Frieza exclaimed.

The green ball curved around and made a direct course to Frieza. The green ball landed at Frieza's chest and plowed straight through his heart.

"But...Broly...why?" Frieza gasped out before the ball blew him to pieces.

"What just happened?" Sonic asked.

"Like I said earlier, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Silver said.

Getting back on track, Sonic stepped up to the keyhole and aimed the Keyblade to it. the Keyblade shot a beam which locked in from inside. Even though they had saved the day, one thing kept bothering them. Who was it that saved them and how did Frieza and Cell come back to life. Meanwhile, Broly was watching from the top of the Gizmo Shop with Black Doom at his side.

"I still don't under stand why you made me kill my new servant." Broly said. "Why not just let him destroy the world and be done with it?"

"No." Black Doom replied. "If that fool destroyed the world, then we would lose the heart as well."

"It's no good if the heart is locked away forever." Broly stated.

"My naïve friend." Black Doom chuckled. "There is more then one way to a heart. You just have to search carefully. Besides, that little hedgehog could still be useful to us."

"And how is that?"

Black Doom and Broly looked back to see Espio leaning against the wall with a scowl present on his face.

"You'll understand soon, Espio. Both of you will." Black Doom said. "For now, let's let them enjoy their victory, while they still can."

Black Doom's laughed echoed through the night sky, unaware that he, too, was being watched by a man in a black coat.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	14. The Turtle Cup

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirteen: The Turtle Cup

It was only a few moments ago that Sonic and the gang came in contact with the deadly duo, Frieza and Cell. When the crew returned to Metal's house, Sonic explained everything.

"I see." Metal started. "So, the king was right about the keyhole being here."

"The king was here?" Storm asked.

"This was the first stop the king made before he began his journey." Tikal informed.

"Do you know where he is now?" Silver asked.

"I'm sorry, we don't." Tikal said regrettably.

The room suddenly turned silent, which caught Tikal's attention. She looked over and saw Metal leaning against the wall. Tikal knew from experience that the only time Metal was this quiet was when he was he was in deep thought.

"What are you thinking about Metal?" Tikal asked.

Sonic and the gang were also intrigued by Metal's thoughts.

"I was thinking about what Sonic said earlier, about how the heartless took Rui." Metal said.

"I just remembered." Sonic interrupted. "My friend, Spyro, said that his friend, Ember, was kidnapped too."

"I was afraid of that." Metal said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Silver asked.

"Before he left, the king warned us that Black Doom may be using the heartless to capture the princesses of hearts." Metal explained.

"Who are they?" Storm asked.

"They are a group of seven females with the most pure hearts in the universe." Metal explained. "According to Mephiles' report, if all seven are brought together, they can unlock a gateway to the ultimate power."

"That's terrible." Sonic said.

"Exactly." Tikal said.

"Last we heard, Black Doom had three of the princesses." Metal informed. "But with Rui and Ember, that makes five."

"It's never easy, is it?" Sonic groaned.

"The best things in life never are." Silver said.

"Do you get that out of a fortune cookie?"

"There will be time to argue later." Metal interrupted. "But for now, you must find the other two princesses before Black Doom does."

"Right, we won't let you down." Sonic said.

"I know you won't." Meta said confidently. "Oh, before you leave, I think it would be best if you went to see Omega. He saws he needs to see you three."

"Can do." Storm said.

After saying their goodbyes, the trio headed back to the first district and went straight to Omega's accessory shop. Upon arriving, the three found Omega behind the counter, petting a strange creature on the counter. The creature was small, pink, and resembled something of a koala. It had two long tendril-like violet-tipped antennae, violet-tipped ears, and a white V-shaped symbol its chest.

"Whoa, what is that?" Storm asked as he tugged at the cretures antenna.

Unfortunately for Storm, due such came with a bad effect. The small creature growled before jumping at Storm's face. The creature showed impressive strength as it lifted up Storm with ease and flung him across the room.

"She doesn't like her antenna pulled." Omega stated.

"Now you tell me." Storm said in a daze.

"This is experiment 624, codename: Angel." Omega introduced. "She was created by Dr. Jumba Jookiba, a friend of my former creator."

"So what's she doing here?" Silver asked.

"Unfortunately, when her world was destroyed, she was separated from her creator and her mate." Omega explained. "If it is not too much trouble, could you take her with you? At least until you find them."

"It doesn't sound too hard." Silver said.

Sonic walked over to the couch where Angel was sitting and looked down at her. Angel growled when Sonic stretch his hand out to her, but stopped when he placed it on her head and started to pet her.

"Don't worry, we'll find your creator and your mate no matter what." Sonic said.

Angel jump for joy at hearing this. Later, Sonic and the gang took off on their Extreme Gear with Angel riding on Storm shoulders. As they were riding their way to the next world, Silver's communicator went off. Silver turned it on and saw Vector and Charmy on the screen.

"Hey, guys, what's up?" Silver asked.

"Hey, Silver, we got great news." Vector said.

"The World Martial Arts Tournament is back and they are starting their first championship now!" Charmy shouted.

"I was gonna say that!" Vector yelled.

"You snooze, you lose." Charmy laughed.

Vector grabbed Charmy and started wrestling him to the ground. Silver turned off the communicator and shook his head in disappointment at the antics of the royal navigators. How they got the position, Silver will never know.

"Hey, guys, I got good news." Silver informed. "There's a tournament being held at Budokai."

"Wow, that was fast." Storm said.

"We can't miss such an opportunity." Sonic said. "This way, we can become strong enough to defeat Black Doom"

"Well, with that said, let's get moving!" Silver exclaimed.

Using their new warp Gear the heroes soared through space at light speed until they reached the coliseum that was home to the World Martial Arts Tournament.

"Wow, that is fast." Sonic said in amazement.

* * *

The heroes placed their Gear in a safe place and made their way to the coliseum. Upon arriving at the entrance doors, they had met up with a familiar fighting friend.

"Hey guys."

"Goku!" Sora cheered. "It's great to see you again."

"You too." Goku said. "It looks like you three have been training."

"After fighting heartless, it pays off." Storm said.

"Oh, and who is this little guy?" Goku asked as he pointed at Angel.

"Actually, she's a girl." Sonic corrected him. "Her name is Angel. She may not look like it, but she's very strong."

"Wow!" Goku chuckled. "How exciting. I hope I get to fight you guys someday."

"You mean, you're not fighting?" Storm asked.

"Not in this one." Goku said. "But if you make it to the third championship, I promise we'll fight."

"I can't wait." Sonic said as he shook hands with Goku.

With their goal set, the four waved goodbye to Goku and entered in the coliseum. Once inside, they found the old turtle hermit, Master Roshi.

"Oh, Sonic, Silver, Storm. It is good to see you." Roshi said happily.

"Nice to see you too, Master." Sonic and the others bowed to the old hermit. "We're ready to fight."

"Perfect. We'll get started right away." Roshi said.

Sonic and the others were about to enter the arena when Sonic felt something tugging at him. He looked to see Angel with pleading eyes.

"Meega fight too." Angel pleaded.

"Hey, Master, can Angel fight too?" Sonic asked.

Master Roshi turned back and just now noticed Angel's presence. As he looked over Angel, he was not impressed by what he saw.

"Hmm. I don't know. She seems too frail to fight in this sort of competition." Roshi said.

At hear her denial into the competition, Angel walked up to Roshi and used the ultimate attack in the known universe: the puppy dog eyes.

"Please." Angel said cutely.

"Aww, how can I resist?" Roshi said in defeat. "All right, follow me."

The four nodded happily and followed the hermit out to the arena. Once there, they found the other four competitors. One was a man with a bad afro, a mustache, and wore a brown gi with white baggy pants. The next was a teenage girl with short black hair and wore a white shirt, black shorts, yellow boots and gloves. The next two were male and female with blue skin and orange hair. The male had a scar on his face and wore dark blue coat with white pants and a blue belt. The female was shorter then the male and wore a blue shirt, white coat, and white pants.

"Ok, listen to me, everyone." Roshi drew everyone's attention. "Before we begin, I would like to go over the rules. You lose by falling out of the ring, knocked out for ten seconds, or give up. Now we will draw numbers to see who fights who."

After drawing numbers, Roshi placed the contestants names on a board that showed who was fighting who. The standings were the following: Silver vs. Zangya, Sonic vs. Hercule, Storm vs. Angel, and Bojack vs. Videl.

"Aww man, I got Angel in the first round." Storm whined.

"We'll have the ambulance waiting." Silver joked.

"Let the first round of the Turtle Cup begin!" Roshi shouted.

* * *

**---Silver vs. Zangya---**

Silver and the blue woman called Zangya were the first to enter the arena.

"Please go easy on me, big guy." Zangya said cutely.

"Can't make any promises." Silver smiled.

"Let the first round begin!" Roshi shouted.

In a flash, Zangya jumped off the ground and nailed a direct kick to Silver's side. The blow sent Silver flying out of the ring, but before he could touch the ground, Silver used his psychic powers to lift himself into the air.

"_Whoa. She's better then I thought." _Silver thought. _Better keep my guard up."_

"Silver, behind you!" Sonic shouted.

Startled, Silver turned around and found Zangya floating in midair.

"But how?" Silver asked.

"Never underestimate the power of woman." Zangya smirked.

Before Silver had a chance to react, Zangya delivered four spinning kicks to Silver's chest and then kicked him in the chin to send him sky rocketing. While Silver was flying high, Zangya appeared out of nowhere above him and delivered a driving kick to his back. Zangya pushed Silver down until she suddenly stopped and watched as Silver fell out of the ring.

"With Silver out of the ring, Zangya is the winner!" Roshi announced.

"Who is she?" Storm asked in shock.

"I don't know, but we better be careful." Sonic warned.

**---Sonic vs. Hercule---**

Sonic took his place in the arena opposite to the man with the bad afro. Sonic sweat dropped as Hercule was posing for the audience.

"Yeah, prepare to be beat by the world champion!" Hercule boasted.

"_This guy can't be serious."_ Sonic thought.

"Let the match begin!" Roshi said.

"Time for my world famous Megaton Punch!" Hercule shouted.

Hercule came charging at Sonic and reeled his fist back. When he was in range, Hercule threw the punch, but ultimately missed as Sonic stepped aside. Next, Sonic held his foot out and tripped Hercule. Hercule curled into a ball and rolled right out the arena.

"That was embarrassing." Sonic said.

"And the winner by ring out is Sonic!" Roshi announced.

The crowd was stunned for a moment as their famous champion was defeated. The silence was then replaced by a loud roar of cheers as the audience praised their new champion.

**---Storm vs. Angel---**

Now it was Storm and Angel's turn to step into the arena. After the last time, Storm learned not to underestimate his opponent because of her looks.

"Don't think I'm gonna take it easy on you." Storm said.

"Meega nala kweesta!" Angel exclaimed.

"Come again?" Storm asked confusingly.

Let the match begin!" Roshi shouted.

Storm charged forward and pulled his fists over his head to bring them down on Angel. Fortunately enough, Angel's small frame allowed her easy maneuverability around Storm and slid between his legs. Strom turned around and attempted another swing, but Angel then suddenly disappeared.

"Hey, where'd she go?" Storm asked.

Storm then felt something on his shoulders and looked up to see Angel. Storm tried to make a grab for her, but was stopped when Angel's antennas started tickling Storm's stomach.

"Hahahaha!" Storm laughed insanely. "Make it stop! Make it stop!"

Storm fell to the ground while Angel continued her relentless tickle attack. Storm was busting a gut, rolling back and forth, until finally.

"All right!" Storm laughed. "I give up!"

"Storm has forfeited!" Roshi announced. "Which means Angel is the winner.

"What a weird strategy, but it works." Silver said as he watched from the audience.

**---Bojack vs. Videl---**

"My dad may have lost, but I won't." The girl called Videl said.

"This is too pitiful." Bojack said.

"Let the match begin!" Roshi shouted.

Instantly, Videl bounced off the ground and delivered a solid blow to Bojack's face. But even after a brutal hit, Bojack didn't even flinch. Seeing this, Videl bounced back and jumped forward again to throw a ballistic barrage of punches and kicks. But even after all that, Bojack didn't even budge. Finally, Bojack made his move and slammed his fist into Videl's gut. Videl instantly collapsed on the arena floor. The crowd was stunned in silence at the outcome.

"I believe that was ten seconds." Bojack said.

"Uh...right." Roshi said nervously. "The winner by knockout is Bojack. We'll be back for more after a slight intermission."

* * *

Later, Sonic and the gang met up in the entrance hall.

"All right. Me and Angel are in the semifinals!" Sonic cheered and danced with Angel.

"Not bad. But don't forget, Zangya and Bojack are still in this, too." Silver warned.

"So they got lucky." Sonic waved it off. "Come on, how strong could they be?" Sonic asked.

"Stronger then you could ever imagine."

The four looked near the entrance of the arena and found a familiar friend standing at the archway of the door.

"Chaos!" the heroes exclaimed.

"Hey, guys, long time, no see."

"Chaos, what did you mean?" Silver asked. "Do you know them?"

"Of course I do." Chaos said. "Bojack is a ruthless warlord who sought nothing but universal domination. Together, he and Zangya went to make this dream a reality. Last time I heard of them, they were both killed. It's strange."

"You're right. First Hirudegarn, then Frieza and Cell, and now these two." Silver examined. "How is it that the dead are coming back?"

"I don't know, but I feel that it has something to do with Broly." Chaos said. "I can feel it."

"Well, we have to get back to the tournament. See ya." Sonic said before he and Angel left to the arena.

"Good luck." Storm said.

"Be careful." Chaos said.

* * *

**---Zangya vs. Sonic---**

Sonic and Zangya stood on opposite ends of the arena to prepare for the fight. Realizing not to underestimate Zangya, Sonic took the precaution to summon his Keyblade.

"That's a nice sword." Zangya complemented. "You not gonna hurt me are you?"

"I'm not falling for your tricks. You're going down." Sonic proclaimed.

"Let the semifinals begin!" Roshi shouted.

Sonic rushed forward and swung his Keyblade, but missed when Zangya jumped into the air. Zangya floated for a moment before diving down to deliver a striking kick. Fortunately, Sonic easily dodged it with his keychain speed and reacted with a blow to Zangya's side. Zangya was only lucky enough to jump back and avoid it, which left her wide open. Sonic was prepared to attack when suddenly, his body stopped moving.

"What's going on?" Sonic asked.

"It's my psionic threads." Zangya said. "They are small threads made of pure energy. In a moment, all the energy in your body will be drained from you."

Sonic struggled to break free from but the more he struggled, the tighter the threads became. Zangya forcefully moved Sonic's arms to his sides and made his dropped his Keyblade. Sonic could slowly feel himself become weaker every moment. Sonic thought he was doomed until he remembered something Silver once taught him. Sonic took a deep breathe and held it, witch was very difficult since the threads were so tight. Soon enough, Sonic's head became completely red.

"Hey, what are you doing?" Zangya asked.

"Zangya's question was answered when Sonic breathed again and shot out a large fireball from his mouth. Zangya was caught by surprise and had no time to react. Zangya was hit directly by the fireball destroyed in a puff of smoke. With Zangya's defeat, the threads were destroyed and Sonic could breath easy again.

"Sonic is the winner!" Roshi shouted.

"Wow, that was good." Storm said.

"What do you expect, he is my student." Silver smirked.

**---Angel vs. Bojack---**

Angel stood nervously at the other end of the arena as she faced her opponent, Bojack. After hearing the story of the intergalactic tyrant, Angel felt less confident in herself.

"Let the match begin!" Roshi shouted.

The moment she was giving word, Angel rushed recklessly towards Bojack. Bojack did not concern himself with her since he knew he was superior. As Angel came closer, Bojack suddenly started yelling. No one knows what happened, but by the time Angel was only two feet away, she was thrown clear across the arena and out of the ring.

"I...don't know what happened, but it looks like Bojack is the winner!" Roshi shouted.

"What just happened?" Storm asked in shock.

"For once, even I don't know." Silver said in awe.

"_Amazing. He was able to throw her out of the ring with only a burst of his energy." _Chaos thought. _If he is this strong, Sonic doesn't stand a chance against him."_

**---Sonic vs. Bojack---**

"And now, the match you have all been waiting for!" Roshi announced. "The two remaining fighters go head to head in one final battle. Who will win? Well we're about to find out."

Sonic and Bojack stood firmly across from each other with stern looks on their faces. Sonic gripped his Keyblade tightly while Bojack's fist grew tighter. The noise of the crowd disappeared from the fighters as the only thing that they were focused on was each other.

"From this point on, I will no longer hold back." Bojack said.

"Same here." Sonic said.

"Let the final match begin!" Roshi shouted.

Bojack started yelling like earlier, only this time it was different. Bojack's blue skin turned to a light green color and his muscle mass doubled, ripping the clothing on his upper body. The energy from Bojack was surging through the arena and nearly struck Sonic down.

"Now, let the games really begin!" Bojack said.

Sonic had no time to react when Bojack showed off his increased speed and punched Sonic in the face. Sonic was headed for out of the ring, but stopped himself by stabbing his Keyblade in the arena. Sonic's head was throbbing and he could feel the blood dripping off his face. Bojack went on the offensive again and swung his fist down on Sonic. Lucky enough, Sonic ran away just in time to avoid the blow. Sonic used the speed to run behind Bojack and stab him in the back.

"Ahh!" Bojack screamed in pain. "You little rat!"

Bojack elbowed Sonic in the face to knock him off. As Sonic stood up, he noticed his Keyblade was missing and realized that it was still in Bojack's back.

"This is bad." Sonic said.

"That's it! No more holding back!" Bojack yelled. Bojack held out his hand and gathered a large amount of green energy in the form of a sphere. "Galactic Buster!"

The green sphere burst open and created a giant wave of energy wave directly in Sonic's way, but Sonic stood firm. The blast blew not only Sonic, but the wall of the coliseum and a distant star. Everyone stood in shock at what Bojack had just done. When the smoke cleared, half of the arena was missing along with Sonic.

"Sonic." Storm whispered.

"And that is that." Bojack said. "And with that, the winner is..."

"Me!"

Bojack and the crowd looked up and found Sonic in the air and headed Straight for Bojack.

"Impossible." Bojack said in disbelief.

Sonic curled into a small ball and throw himself at Bojack's back, more specifically, his Keyblade. Before Bojack could realize what happened, Sonic pounded against the Keyblade and pierced it into Bojack's heart. Bojack screamed for a moment in pain before disappearing in a puff of smoke. The crowd rested in silence before bursting out in wild cheers.

"And that's it, the match is over!" Roshi announced. The winner of the Turtle cup is Sonic!"

* * *

Moments later, Sonic's friends, Roshi, Goku, and even Chaos met Sonic in the lobby to congratulate Sonic on his victory.

"Sonic, you were amazing." Storm said.

"He's right. Even I was impressed." Goku said.

"With this victory, all you need to do is win the third championship and you will be qualified to participate in the Dragon Cup." Roshi said.

"The Dragon Cup?" Sonic repeated. "What's that?"

"It's a tournament where only the best of the best compete." Roshi explained. "And whoever wins gets one wish from the eternal dragon, Shenron."

"I have already assured my spot in the tournament." Chaos said. "I hope I will fight you again."

"Wow, I can't wait to compete." Storm said.

"Unfortunately, you can't" Roshi said. "Because you lost in this tournament, you not qualified to participate. But is you win the Namek Cup, you two win be a shooing for the chance."

"Then that's what we'll do." Silver said. "And when we win the Dragon Cup, we'll ask the dragon to find the king for us."

"But until then, practice as hard as you can." Goku said.

"Don't worry, we will." Sonic said.

With all said and done, the four heroes waved goodbye to their friends before leaving to the next world. Unknown to them, they were being watched by Broly and new creature. This creature was a red demon with a long tail and wore light-purple armor, white wrist and leg bands, and a helmet with the spikes pointed back.

"So Bojack and Zangya failed, huh? Can't say I'm surprised." Broly said in a sinister manner. "That gives me an idea. Janemba, it's time we recruited more allies."

The demon known as Janemba nodded his head and held his arms to the sky. A spot in the sky started to turn black and then ripped open a hole into another world. On the other side of the tare, five sets of red, evil eye could be seen on the other side.

"Look's like things are finally starting to become a little more interesting." Broly chuckled.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	15. Twilight Tyranny, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Fourteen: Twilight Tyranny, Part 1

The four heroes were riding through the stars after just having won their first tournament. At the time, Silver was showing his apprentice a new spell for him to learn.

"Now pay close attention." Silver instructed. Silver held out his hand and crafted an arrow of yellow energy in his palm. "This is called the chaos spear. After long training, you should be able to produce one."

"Excellent!" Sonic cheered. "I can't wait until I master it."

"That may be a while. It took me two months to create just one." Silver said.

Hey, Silver, what's that?" Storm asked while pointing ahead.

Silver looked over his masculine friend to see the world he was talking about. It was a dark and bleak world filled with ruined villages, destroyed towns, and an eerie castle that stood above the hills of the world. from a distance, it looked as if the shadows were actually moving.

"What does the navigator say?" Sonic asked.

"Let's see." Silver pulled out the navigator and input the coordinates. To his surprise, the screen came up blank. "That's weird. There's no information on this world."

"A chance to discover a new world? Count me in!" Sonic said excitingly before diving down on the world.

* * *

**---???---**

The town at the foot of the castle was a hollowed place where no life could be seen for miles, none except the heartless. The heartless could be seen traveling in packs with strange black creatures with red neon markings and tentacles coming from its head. These creatures were known as Twili, servants of Zant. Speaking of whom, Zant and his master, Black Doom, were strolling down through the town.

"And the keyhole?" Black Doom asked.

"The Twili are searching for it now." Zant answered. "It will only be a matter of time before it is ours. Now that just leaves..."

"My king!" Just then, a large orcish creature with large horns wearing armor came in riding a large armored armor pig with horns. The two stopped in front of the evil duo. "My king, it's just as you said. three strange creatures falling from the sky.

"So the Keyblade Master is here." Zant sniggered. "Very well. Reported to your station. I'll deal with them."

"Yes, sir." The orc said before riding back to the castle.

"You know, for a brainless blob, he can sure come in handy." Zant said. "Now I must head back to the castle. I bid you farewell, my liege." He started to walk away.

"What about the Keyblade Master?" Black Doom questioned. "I thought you were going to handle it?"

"Why waste my time on such lowly specimens when I can have my servants do it for me?" Zant said arrogantly. "With both the heartless and the Twili at my side, I have no need to soil my hands."

"You speak so lightly." Black Doom said in a lowly voice. "Your arrogance blinds you. the heartless fear the Keyblade Master. They need a leader to guide them through such dangerous tasks."

"I care not for the heartless." Zant said mockingly. "Once I recover the princess, all our troubles will be over. That girl may have escaped for now, but there is o so many places for rats like her to hide in. And even without her, there is still the keyhole."

"Have you not been paying attention?" Black Doom questioned. "We only have five princesses. Without the other two, our plans will be destroyed."

"Well, if the princess is that important, we'll find her." Zant said. Zant waved his hands and summoned a horde of new heartless. The new heartless were shaped like ancient Chinese soldiers with neon armor and each carried a sword at its side called dynast heartless. "There is one that may know of the princess's whereabouts. Hunt down the one called Link." And the heartless were gone.

"Beware the darkness in your heart." Black Doom warned. "The heartless pray upon it."

"Your concern is touching, but hardly necessary." Zant said before walking back to the castle.

"Zant will fall and when he does, I want you to take out the Keyblade Master." Black Doom spoke to the shadows.

Inside the shadows, stood a man with amazingly dark skin, dark-red hair, and a yellow opal in his forehead. The man wore black armor, a blood red cape, a carried a large sword on his back.

"As you wish, my lord." The man said before transforming to smoke and vanishing.

* * *

Out in the fields of the unknown world, the four heroes decided to land for safety reasons. Just setting foot on the world sent shivers down their spines. The grass was burned and the skies were dark then when they saw from afar.

"Naga tooge." Angel said frighten.

"I'm scared too. Can we go now?" Storm asked shaken.

"Normally, I would agree with you, but not this time." Silver said. "But this place is in too much ruin to turn away from. And plus, we can't go anywhere else until we find out where we are."

"Hmm. Not much to this place." Sonic said as he gazed afar.

"Do not what blinds you with your eyes." A deep, yet smooth voice said. "Let your mind be free from the shackles of visions."

Sonic fell back in surprise before over to the person who surprised him. There on a nearby rock sat a young boy with pure white skin and silver hair that covered his left eye. He wore a purple cape, tunic, and cap along with red pants and sandals. For someone standing in the middle of a field of death, the boy seemed quite calm.

"Uh...who are you?" Sonic asked.

"Glad you asked." The boy said as he jumped off the rock. "I am Vaati, the wind mage. It is such an honor to meet the fabled Keyblade Master." He said with a formal bow.

"Wait, how did you know who I was?" Sonic asked suspiciously.

"You fell from the sky and came to save the world." Vaati answered. "all mages know of the coming of the Keyblade Master and his purpose to the world. You have come here to defeat Zant and rescue the princess as well?"

"If Zant is the one causing all this, then yeah." Sonic said.

"You know, this was once a beautiful land. Before Zant took over. Poor Hyrule." Vaati said sadly.

"Don't worry. Once we find this Zant guy, the four of us will be able to defeat him no problem." Sonic said with confidence. "After that, we'll rescue the princess and turned this world back to normal."

"You really think it will be that easy?" Vaati asked. "In your current state, you will not last five minutes against him.

"Wow. Is he really that strong?" Sonic asked.

"Even more then I can describe." Vaati said. Sonic held his head down and sighed in defeat. "However..." Sonic's ears perked up. "There is one person who can provide you with the power to defeat him."

"Really? who?" Sonic asked.

"His name is Link." Vaati answered. "He is a strong and gifted swordsman that has defeated has defeated evil since he was younger then you." Vaati waved his arms around to express it. "Majora, Twinrova, even the mighty dark king Ganondorf fell to his power. Only with his power can you defeat Zant."

"Great, where do I find him?" Sonic asked with excitement.

"Hmm. I don't know, but the princess might." Vaati said. "Last I had heard from the princess, she was last seen at the Temple of Time near the Sacred Grove in Faron Province."

"And that would be where?" Sonic asked.

"Ugh, just follow the trail and it should lead you straight there." Vaati pointed out.

"Great. Thanks"

"Sonic?" Storm suddenly sounded. "Are you ok?"

"Of course I'm ok. I was just talking to..." When Sonic looked back to Vaati, he was no longer there. "Hey, where'd he go?" Sonic asked.

"Where did who go?" Silver asked.

"That guy I was just talking to."

"Sonic, there was no one there. You were just talking to yourself." Silver stated. "We thought you were going crazy. Now tell us, who is this Zant and where is this princess?"

"I tell you later. Right now we have to move." Sonic said as he ran off down the trail.

"Sonic! Wait for us!" Storm screamed.

As the group followed Sonic down the trail, Vaati was watching from a hill not far from them.

"Hahaha." Vaati chuckled. "Soon they will fall at the hands of the master. It would seem that you are alive." Standing behind Vaati was a figure the same size as him and wore a black coat. "After all these years, I thought you were dead after the master banished you to the shadows."

"It will take a lot more then that to beat me." the figure said. "So what's going on?"

"The master will soon destroy the Keyblade Master and conquer the galaxy." Vaati answered casually.

"No way! That's the leader's job! You can't just waltz right in and expect..."

Before he even had a chance to finish, Vaati held his hand up and flicked the figure in the head. The figure rolled down the hill screaming "MOMMY!!!" before falling into the pond nearby.

"How in Din's name did he survive this long?" Vaati questioned.

* * *

Sonic and the others reached the end of the trail; they found themselves in the neck of a deep forest. Along the woods was a grove filled with some swamp-like features and a large white, archaic temple could be found on the other side.

"Is that the Temple of Time?" Sonic asked.

"Only one way to find out." Storm said.

As they took their first steps to the temple, they were suddenly attacked by the dynast heartless. Sonic pulled out his Keyblade to block just as one dynast swung its sword down. Sonic pushed it back and ran past it to slice the creature in half. What he didn't see was the other dynast waiting to cut him down in front. Lucky, Angel jumped from out of nowhere and kicked the heartless to the tree with her amazing strength. Storm was relentless as he picked up the heartless one by one and threw them away like yesterdays trash. But even with his impressive might, the dynast still had their speed. They circled around Storm and tied him together with an unbreakable neon rope. The dynast unsheathed their swords and struck at Storm, but was suddenly stopped. Their swords were suddenly bended and hurled straight back at their heads, killing them.

"Thanks, Silver." Storm said.

"No problem." Silver said.

But before the heroes even had a chance to celebrate, the Twili soldiers suddenly appeared. Sonic tried to attack them with his Keyblade, but it only passed through them.

"I'm guessing these aren't heartless." Sonic said.

"How could you tell?" Silver said sarcastically.

The heroes were backed up to the door of the temple by the Twili. The Twili then attacked them, but the heroes were lucky enough to fall back through the door just in time. But, as expected with their luck, the heroes tumbled down the stairway and piled on top of each other in the center of the temple. And unfortunately, Storm was on top of the pile.

"Can you get off? You're crushing my spine!" Silver exclaimed.

"Naga Meeta!" Angel screamed.

"You don't even want to know what I've crushed." Sonic said.

The Twili marched in and surrounded the heroes from all sides. One Twili swung its claw to Sonic. The hedgehog tried to block, but its hand went straight through the Keyblade and swatted him back. The heroes all tried to defend themselves, but the Twili proved to be in a league much stronger then the heartless. Just when they thought they were beaten, a beautiful singing voice echoed through the halls of the temple. The Twili seemed frightened of this voice and scurried off. Just then, a woman entered the halls. It was strange to Sonic that he had actually seen her before.

"_That's the girl from my dream."_ Sonic thought.

"Thanks for the help back there." Silver said. "I don't know what you did, but it was useful."

"I was happy to help." The woman said.

"Who are you?" Storm asked while placing Angel on his shoulder.

"My name is Zelda, the princess of Hyrule and the last surviving member of the royal family." The woman called Zelda introduced. "It is so good to see that the Keyblade Master has arrived after all these years." Sonic was about to interrupt until Zelda cut him off. "If you are surprised, don't be. Many legends have been made over the years and many are about you."

"Whoa, I'm famous." Sonic turned to Silver. "You better start respecting me more."

"Not a chance." Silver said.

"Hyrule used to be such a beautiful place until the evil Zant broke merged it with the twilight realm." Zelda said.

"Zant? Twilight realm? What are you talking about?" Silver asked.

"Perhaps I should start from the beginning." Zelda said. "Centuries ago, the sages banished a group of dark sorcerers who tried to steal our world's most powerful artifact: the triforce. After centuries of waiting, Zant came across the heartless and used their power to shroud the world in darkness. He has called the throne as king and now searches for an artifact called the keyhole."

"Well, at least we know he hasn't found it." Storm said.

"Quick, take this portal to escape." Zelda turns to a blue cybernetic looking portal on the wall. "If I am right, it should take you to Arbiter's Grounds, where Link was last seen."

"Link, huh?" Zant's voice came. "Then it would seem that my minions have failed me." Everybody looked to see Zant standing of the ledge next to the stained glass window. "Zelda, you are a crafty girl to escape me, but I do believe it's time we head back."

"Zelda, get out of here." Sonic said as he summoned his Keyblade.

Zelda ran down the hall. Zant made an attempt to chase after her, but was cut off when the four heroes blocked him off.

"There's no way you're getting past us." Storm proclaimed.

"Oh no?" Zant taunted. For a minute, Zant just floated in place until the heard the sounds of footfalls behind them. They turned their heads to see that Zant was directly behind them with his back tuned. "You're too weak to compare to my power."

The heroes tried to turn, but Zant's speed was too great and swung his arm around to knock them away. Either by luck or chance, Zant's swipe pushed the heroes through the portal. The heroes were transported to a place in the middle of a vast desert. The heroes crashed into a colloseum room with a large glowing stone and a strangely crafted mirror.

"Ow, what a ride." Storm said in a daze.

"Naga tee." Angel's voice came muffled. Storm sat up and found Angel crushed underneath his girth. "Da baba."

"That was fun! Let's go again!" Sonic shouted.

"I think we'll have to wait on that." Silver said.

Suddenly, the dynast heartless jumped from out of the shadows and faced the heroes. Sonic and the others bravely went up against the dynast heartless. Having fought the heartless earlier, defeating them was easier the second time around. But just when they thought the battle was over, more Twili soldiers arrived through the portal.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sonic whined.

Storm thrusted his fist forward to the creatures head, but it only phased through. The Twili countered by swatting the albatross to the glowing stone. Silver attempted to use his magic, but the Twili's tentacles restrained him and Angel together. Sonic was the last hope for the heroes. But after his last encounter with the Twili, Sonic was frightened by the sight of them. The scared hedgehog dropped his Keyblade and stumbled back as the Twili moved in.

"_I can't believe this is how I die." _Sonic thought.

The Twili were poised to strike until an arrow flew out of nowhere and struck one in the head, killing it. Sonic held a shocked look on his face and looked to where the arrow came from. What he saw a blond young man holding a bow aimed at the Twili. The man wore a green tunic and cap, white pants and undershirt, and brown boots, gloves, and belt. He carried a blue shield and a sturdy sword on his back.

"You guys just don't know when to quit." The man smirked.

The Twili forgot Sonic and charged at the man. The man replaced his bow with his sword and shield. One Twili jumped forward to attack, but the man pushed it back with his shield. The Twili charged again, but the man carved it in half. Another Twili charged before behind, but the man swung around to cut it down. Another trio attacked from all sides, but the man spun around to slaughter them. But even with his skills, the Twili just kept coming.

"This isn't working." The man said. "Midna! Midna, where are you?!"

"I'm here. Don't blow a gasket, Link." Then, an imp creature with black and blue neon marking wearing a stone helmet floated into view. "What do you want now?"

"Midna, I can't beat them like this, if you know what I mean." Link smirked.

"I'm on it." Midna said.

The imp pulled out a black and red crystal and stamps it to his forehead. Link doubled over in pain before he started to transform. The once man transformed into a green wolf, which the imp sat on its back.

"Charge!" Midna cheered.

The wolf ran forward into the crowd of Twili and bite off one of their heads. When the Twili attacked, the Link wolf swung around and killed them off with its tail. When the battle was over, Link transformed into his normal form.

"That was fun." Midna commented.

"There's something you don't see everyday." Storm commented while breaking Silver and Angel from their bonds.

"I can't believe I just froze like that." Sonic said to himself. Sonic looked depressingly into the reflection of his Keyblade and saw only half of himself in it. "I guess I'm not the hero I thought I was."

"Don't be hard on yourself." Link told Sonic. "I was scared too when I first saw the Twili. By the way, who are you guys?"

"I'm Silver." Silver said. "Those would be Storm and Angel." He pointed to them. "And the one cowering would be Sonic. Are you Link by any chance?"

"Yeah, I'm Link." Link said.

"And I'm the graceful and beautiful Midna." Midna boasted.

"You're beautiful?" Storm asked. Midna nodded. "I don't see it." Midna slapped him over the head. "Ow!"

"O...K." Link said awkwardly. "Anyways, what are you four doing here?"

"We were asked to find you by Zelda." Silver answered.

"Zelda?!" link exclaimed in surprise.

"But that is impossible." Midna stated. "We were there when Zelda died. "Midna looked downcast for a moment. "She did it to save me."

"Well, she was alive when we saw her." Storm said.

"But how is that possible?" Link asked.

"You can ask her when we get back to the Temple of Time." Sonic spoke up. "Let's hurry before we run into anymore of those freaks."

The six heroes were making their way to the portal when they found it was suddenly closed. Midna explained that it would take a while before the portal could recharge. While waiting, Sonic spoke up and asked.

"Hey, Midna, why do you look like those weird creatures?"

"It's because I am one of them." Midna answered. "I was once destined to be the princess of the twilight realm until Zant took over." Midna looked towards the night sky. "They weren't always like this. They were once proud people until Zant transform them and myself into these horrid creatures." Midna touched her helmet. "This is the only thing left of our humanity."

"That's terrible." Silver said.

"Not for long." Link said. "After I defeat Zant, I promise to restore you and the other Twili back to normal."

"Really?" Midna said hopeful.

"It's a promise." Link smiled.

After a long period of waiting, the portal was finally open and the heroes passed through it. Once outside the portal, they found themselves once again in the Temple of Time.

"This place hasn't changed much." Midna commented.

"Zelda! Are you in here?!" Link shouted suddenly, causing everyone to jump.

"Don't you ever do that again!" Midna screamed. "You nearly made me jump out of my helmet!"

Midna. Just as boisterous as ever." Zant's voice sounded. The group of heroes looked over to see Zant with Zelda standing by calmly his side. "Setting your sights a little high, aren't you boy.

"Zant! Let Zelda go!" Link shouted. Zant started laughing.

"She could leave any time she wanted." Zant said.

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

"I mean, Zelda was working for me the whole time." Zant said. "She was used as bait to draw you out."

"Zelda...how could you?" Link asked sadly.

"I'm sorry, Link. But I didn't have a choice." Zelda said.

"That will be enough of the dramatics." Zant said. "Now, as for you, Midna." Zant held out his hand and waved Midna toward himself. Midna's helmet started glowing and pulled her towards Zant, despite her best efforts to resist. "You'll become a great help to me when I find the keyhole."

"Let them go!" Link screamed.

Link charged at Zant with his sword held high. Just as Link swung his sword, Zant swatted it away with his left hand and fired and energy ball with his right. The ball knocked link back to his former spot.

"Is that all you can do? You don't stand a chance." Zant said as he formed an orb around himself and the girls. "I now, ibid you farewell. But not with leaving a little parting gift."

And with that, they were gone. But before they left, Zant formed an exact copy of himself and left it to fight the heroes.

"Now what?" Storm asked.

The Zant copy charged forward and swung long tentacles from his sleeves. The heroes quickly jumped out of the way except Sonic, who was stricken by fear. The Zant copy attempted to grab him, But Link pushed him out of the way and got trapped himself.

"Link!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Storm, Angel, double team!" Silver shouted.

Storm charged forward with Angel in hands. Angel curled into and ball and Storm threw her like a cannonball. The Zant copy saw this coming and let go of one hand to catch Angel with his tentacles. Storm quickly ran to her rescue and tried to break her bonds. Unfortunately, his strength was not enough and found himself being caught in the web of tentacles.

"With both of your hands caught, there is no way you can fight back." Silver said. Silver concentrated his energy to form a blade of energy around his hand. Silver ran forward shouting. "It's over!"

Unfortunately, the Zant copy had more tricks up his sleeves or better yet, his robe. The Zant copy moved away his robe and summoned up another horde of tentacles. Silver sliced away as many of the tentacles as he could, but was easily overpowered. Sonic watched helplessly as his friends were being beat while he was cowering on the ground.

"_I want to help, but I'm too scared." _Sonic thought _"What do I do."_

Sonic was caught between his fear and his friends. Suddenly, he remembered his promise when he first met Storm and Silver. They promised they would always be there for each other and he was letting them down. Gathering his courage, Sonic grabbed his Keyblade and ran forward to the Zant copy.

"Let them go!" Sonic shouted.

The Zant copy turned to Sonic and unleashed another barrage of tentacles. The tentacles would easily overpower him, if it wasn't for his Keyblade power. Sonic quickly activated his keychain and ran past the Zant copy in the blink of an eye. The Zant copy looked back for a moment before Sonic stabbed it in the head, forcing it to release the others. The Zant copy trudged back in pain before exploding in a flash of light.

"Did...I do that?" Sonic asked shockingly.

"It was because of your courage." Link said. "It was your courage that allowed the powers of twilight interact with you and give you the power to defeat it."

"That's all it takes to defeat these creatures?" Silver questioned. Link nodded. "Ok, now the whole world has officially gone crazy."

"What do we do now, Link?" Storm asked.

Link clenched his fist in rage. "He manipulated Zelda and kidnapped Midna. I swear, by the three goddesses, I will defeat Zant once and for all!"

"And we'll be there to help." Storm said.

"Meega voote!" Angel pumped her fist into the air.

"You can't." Link said.

"Yes, we can." Silver objected. "We have come this far together. There is no way we're abandoning you now."

"All for one and one for all. That's our motto." Sonic said proudly.

"Thanks guy." Link smiled. "Now, we must go to Hyrule Castle and face Zant! Let's show that tyrant what it means to mess with us!"

The heroes cheered and ran through the temple portal that would eventually lead them to the final battle with Zant.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	16. Twilight Tyranny, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

**I would like to thank those who convinced me to come out of my slump and continue this story. Thank you.**

Chapter Fifteen: Twilight Tyranny, Part 2

The five heroes jumped from the twilight portal they entered into a whole new area. But instead of the castle that Sonic and the others were hoping for, they found themselves stand on a long stone bridge holding them high into the air over a large desert gorge. They might not have arrived at the castle, But Sonic was lucky enough to find six dragon eggs and a page from Shahra's book.

"Ok, I know I'm new to this world, but I know this is not the castle." Silver commented.

"This is the Bridge of Eldin." Link informed. "Zant must have relocated our portal to send us away from the castle."

"No worries. There's another one over their." Sonic said. Sonic pointed to the other side of the bridge where they found another twilight portal. "We could use that one to get to the castle."

"But why would Zant send us here?" Link asked.

"Who cares? Let's just get out of here." Sonic said.

"Sonic, wait!" Silver shouted, but mo one was listening.

Sonic ran across the bridge, ignoring his friend's warnings. Just then, a giant axe flew out of nowhere and plowed itself in front of Sonic. Sonic squeaked as the axe nearly hit him and scurried back to hide behind Link's legs. The orc that presented itself to Zant earlier rode out into the open atop his armored pig. He picked up the axe and waved it to the heroes.

"Who is that guy?" Storm asked.

"That's King Bulbin, one of Zant's servants." Link informed.

"Well...I'm not afraid of him." Sonic said, trying to regain some dignity.

"You nearly wet yourself not a moment ago." Silver smirked, receiving a glare from Sonic.

"Do you think this is why Zant sent us here?" Storm asked.

"Ih." Angel nodded.

"If we want to get to Zant, we have to defeat him first." Link said. Link drew his sword and held his shield. "Charge!"

King Bulbin let out a monstrous roar before commanding his boar to attack. Storm curled Angel into a ball and threw him to the orc king. But Bulbin's raised its snout and swiped Angel away like it was child's play. Angel extracted her claws and thrusted then into the bridge to stop her from falling over the edge. Angel sighed in relief that she didn't fall until she looked up to see Bulbin with his axe held high. Bulbin swung it down, but Sonic used his speed chain to save Angel just in time.

"You ok?" Sonic asked.

"Meega toota." Angel said.

"Stay here." Sonic said as he set Angel down. "We'll take care of things."

Angel was about to argue, but Sonic ran to the other side of the bridge and threw her through the portal. Back on the bridge, Silver back flipped over storm and pulled the albatross back as Bulbin swung his axe down. Unknown to them, all of Bulbin's axe swings were slowly cracking the bridge apart. Link jumped up to swing his sword down, But Bulbin held up his axe to block and his boar charge to throw Link back. Sonic came back into the fight and kicked Bulbin in the side of the face.

"Hah! Take that!" Sonic shouted victoriously. Bulbin's eyes filled with rage and grabbed the blue hedgehog by his leg. "You've got to be kidding me."

Bulbin tossed Sonic over his head and threw to the other side of the bridge. King Bulbin pulled the reigns of his boar and pulled back for the final charge. Silver knew he had to come up with something quick. As he looked over to his friends, he noticed Link holding his bow and arrow. Silver and Link exchanged glances and both had the same idea. Silver used his mental powers to lift Link into the air and flew over Bulbin's head.

"It ends here, Bulbin!" Link shouted.

When Link was in range, he pulled back his bow and released the arrow. The arrow flew across the air and landed in Bulbin's chest. The arrow pushed Bulbin off his boar and slammed him onto the bridge. The impact caused the bridge the crack even more. Without anyone to guide it, the boar aimlessly fell over the edge of the bridge.

"So...is that it?" Sonic asked. "Is it finally over?"

"It looks that way." Silver said.

Link and the others moved closer to Bulbin. For a split second, Bulbin reached out to grab them before falling back.

"I...have alway served the strongest side...that is all I have ever known" Bulbin said.

"So that explains it." Link said. "He's lived his entire life in eternal servitude, never knowing what it was like to be free."

"How sad." Storm said.

While they were letting this moment pass, the bridge finally started to breakdown from all the damage.

"What's happening?!" Sonic screamed.

"The bridge has suffered too much!" Silver replied. "It's going to collapse!"

"Quick! To the portal!" Link yelled.

Sonic and the others quickly ran across the collapsing bridge. All of a sudden, Link stopped and looked back to King Bulbin. Sonic and his friends shouted to hurry up, but Link didn't move. Making a quick decision, Link ran back to help Bulbin. Link was nearly there until Silver pulled him back with his mental powers.

"Let me go! I have to help him!" Link shouted.

But Silver didn't listen. Link watched helplessly as the bridge gave way and Bulbin fell into the dark abyss below. Sonic and the others quickly jumped through the portal just as the bridge reached them. The four heroes jumped out of the portal and landed inside a grey hall with many royal decorations on the walls.

"Is this it?" Storm asked.

"Yeah. This is Hyrule Castle. The place where Zant resides." Link said sadly

"I'm sorry, but if I let you go, you would have died." Silver said sorrowfully. "There was nothing we could do to help him."

"At least now he can finally know what it's like to be free." Link said. "Come on, we must keep moving."

Link, Storm, and Silver were walking through the hall until they noticed Sonic wasn't moving. When they him asked what's wrong, he replied by asking.

"Where's Angel?"

* * *

In the castles throne room, Zant was sitting at the throne while watching as the heroes made their valiant quest to defeat him. Zant merely chuckled at their attempts. Zelda was standing by his side, staring in depression, while Midna watched in the center of the room. 

"You see, they can't lose." Midna smirked. "When they get here, they gonna kick you butt."

"She does have a point." Zelda said. "They do seem more powerful together then they were separate. Perhaps it would be wise to surrender while you still have a chance."

Zant looked enraged at Zelda. Zant pulled out an orb of light from his robe and started to squeeze it. Zelda collapsed to her knees and clutched her heart in agony.

"Remember you place, princess." Zant said as he placed the orb back in his robe. "Besides, I need those two to come here if I wish to complete the plan of God."

"Plan of God?" Midna repeated.

"God came to me in a blaze of fire, foretelling my rule of the Twilight Realm." Zant informed. "He predicted that if I were to find the keyhole, I would be given power beyond my wildest dream. That is where you come in, Midna."

"Me?" Midna asked.

"I know you posses the fused shadow." Zant said. "I want you to reveal the keyhole to me."

"Never!" Midna exclaimed.

"I gave Zelda her life back and I can take it away just as easily." Zant said as he held the orb again. "Do you think you can handle two deaths on your conscience?"

"Two?" Midna repeated.

Zant suddenly held out his hand and released a tentacle from his robe. The tentacle reached into the shadows and pulled out an object from behind. The object turned out to be Angel, who was trying to sneak in.

"Now, will you do it, or will I have to kill them to motivate you?" Zant chuckled sinisterly.

Realizing she had no choice, Minda called forth more stone carvings similar to her helmet. The stone carvings formed together around Midna and emitted a ray of black light. The light revealed the keyhole to be over the throne. Zant chuckled evilly.

* * *

Not far from the throne room, the heroes were faced with an army of dynast heartless and twili. 

Why do bad guys always have to have large armies outside their rooms?" Storm complained.

"Your guess is as good as mine." Sonic said.

"It's obvious that he's trying to stall us as long as possible to complete his plan." Silver said.

"Then let's not waste any time." Sonic smirked.

The Heroes scattered around the room as they tried to take out as many enemies as possible. Link clashed with the dynast in a sword fight and seemed to be holding his own. When four started to attack him from behind, Link swung his blade in a full circle to kill them off. Sonic, with new found courage, jumped off one Twili after another. He jumped on to their shoulders and stabbed them in the heads before moving on. Surrounded by a group of heartless, Silver raised his palm and released a wave of energy. The energy sent the heartless crashing to the walls and disappearing into the shadows. Storm settled with grabbing the enemies and crushing their spines. With all done, the heroes gathered around again.

"I would still like to now what Zant would want with Midna." Sonic said. "I mean, what could he want with her?"

"He might want the fused shadow." Link said.

"The fused shadow?" The anthro's questioned.

"Yeah. It's a mystical item the Twili created centuries ago." Link explained. "Legend has it, that the fused shadow has the power to alter the world and reveal its secrets. But what kind of secret would Zant be looking for."

"The keyhole!" Sonic exclaimed.

"We better hurry before it's to late." Silver said.

The heroes made their way to the throne room. Meanwhile, Zant was observing the depressed princesses and captured experiment when Black Doom appeared.

"I see you were able to recover the princess." Black Doom said. He looked above the throne and saw the keyhole to his delight. "And you have discovered the keyhole. Excellent work."

"You expect nothing less?" Zant chuckled. "But there is still a problem."

"The hedgehog?" Black Doom asked.

"He's more persistent then he's worth." Zant said. "Perhaps it's time to explained things to that Espio character." Black Doom glared at Zant without him knowing. "Doing so may actually prove useful to our..."

Zant stopped when they heard the throne room door creak and found Sonic and his friends.

"Speak of the devil." Black Doom said.

"Are you...Black Doom?" Sonic asked.

But before the alien overlord could answer, he disappeared in a flash of light.

"Zant, let Zelda and Midna go!" Link demanded.

"Not a chance." Zant said. "With Midna, I could control the Twilight Realm. And Zelda is needed to power the final keyhole."

"Is that the gateway Metal told us about?" Sonic asked. Silver.

"It must be, there is no other logical explanation." Silver replied.

"Too bad you won't live to feel its great power." Zant laughed. Zant's helmet disappeared to reveal his true face. He was ghostly white and had two creepy yellow eyes. From his sleeves he raised two swords. "After centuries of suffering, I shall finally have what is rightfully mine!"

Zant zoomed past the heroes and swung around to cut them in half. Fortunately enough, Sonic used the speed from his keychain to block Zant's attack. Link jumped up in front and swung his sword around, but ultimately missed when Zant ducked. Zant prepared to strike upwards with his sword until Sonic kicked him away to the wall.

"Thanks for that." Link said.

"Any time." Sonic said.

Zant stood up and looked furious. After close inspection, Zant noticed that his mouth was bleeding slightly. Zant wiped away the blood with his robe and thought it was time to get serious. Zant teleported behind the two and swiped them in the backs. Silver and Storm quickly reacted to this and charged forward to help. Unfortunately, Zant easily swung his robe around and tossed the two to the other side of the room.

"Man, how do we beat a guy who can be anywhere at once?" Sonic asked.

"This time, I don't know." Link said

Sonic and Link pushed themselves up and jumped away just in time to avoid Zant's next attack. Link pulled out his bow and fired an arrow at Zant's head. Unfortunately, the usurper king disintegrated the arrow with a simple glance. Link was left in a state of shock that gave Zant the opportune moment to slash across Link's chest.

"Link!" Sonic shouted.

Sonic changed keychains to form the Lugia Blade. As Zant went on the attack, Sonic hovered in the air to avoid it. But even after flying, Zant wasn't far behind. Meanwhile, Silver and Storm broke the bonds that held Angel and the princesses together. Once freed they looked over to see that Sonic had been knocked to the ground and that Zant held his blade to Sonic's neck.

"What do we do now?" Storm asked. "We have to save him."

While the males remain hesitant Angel had had enough. Angel ran head first towards Zant.

"Angel, no!" Silver yelled.

"Now you die." Zant told Sonic.

Zant reeled his sword back and prepared to strike until Angel suddenly climbed on his back. Zant took several steps back and flexed his arms around to pry the pink creature off. But Angel resisted. Suddenly, Angel began to sing to Zant. The song was calm and soothing. Everyone that heard the song became more relaxed and all their worries melted away. Suddenly, Zant stopped his attempts and fell to his knees. Angel climbed down off of Zant as the others gathered around him.

"Now we can put an end to this." Link said while raising his sword and swung it down.

"Don't!" Midna suddenly shouted. Link stopped his blade at looked at Midna in confusion. "There's something different about him. He looks...happy."

"That's because I am, princess." Zant said with a smile. "For some reason, I no longer feel the need to conquer. I feel...free."

"That song that Angel sang must have changed Zant and turned him good." Silver concluded. "Am I right?"

"Ih." Angel nodded.

"Amazing." Zelda marveled. "I had no idea such wonderful creatures could exist." Zelda petted Angel on the head. "I feel safe knowing creatures like you exist."

While the others celebrated, Sonic pointed Keyblade to the top of the throne and shot a beam of light at the keyhole to lock it forever.

"Princess, I have much to tell you." Zant said.

"Do you know where Black Doom is?" Sonic asked as he joined the others.

"Yes. He even entrusted me with this." Zant reached into his robe and pulled out a sheet of paper. He handed it to Sonic. "It's a page from Mephiles' report. It was given to me by Black Doom."

"Do you know where he is?" Storm asked.

"He..." Just as Zant was about to answer, a sword flew out of nowhere and impaled him in the heart. Zant and the others looked back to see a man sitting at the throne. But this wasn't any man. This was the man worshipped as a god. "But...why?"

"Black Doom said you would fail...and he was right." The man smirked. Finally, Zant collapsed and died. The man held out his hand and called back his sword. "Well, Link, it has been a long time. I have not seen you since the battle at my castle."

"Link, who is that guy?"

"It's the man who tried to destroy Hyrule seven years ago." Link growled. "I though I rid the world of him once and for all. He is the king of darkness, Ganondorf."

"_Ganondorf?" _Sonic thought. _"So that's the guy Vaati told me about."_

"What are you doing back?" Zelda asked.

"I really owe it to Black Doom." Ganondorf said as he rose from his chair. "He broke the seal that kept me prisoner in the sacred realm. But even after being freed, my power was still too weak. That is why I chose Zant. His hatred would fuel me and restore my strength to its original power."

"You manipulated Zant's heart and nearly destroyed my home." Midna growled. "You'll pay for that!"

"I'd like to see you try." Ganondorf chuckled.

Midna's anger flared and reformed the fused shadows around her body into the form a black arachnid. Too make sure her friends were safe, Midna used her power to transport the heroes away from the battle. The giant arachnid charged at Ganondorf, but the dark king did not seem threatened. In the fields, Sonic and the others crash landed on the dead grass.

"Whoa, what happened?" Storm asked.

"Midna must have transported us outside." Zelda said.

"But where is Midna?" Link asked.

For a moment, the world began to shake as the battle in the castle could be felt all the way from the fields. When the heroes looked over, they saw that the castle had collapsed. Just then Midna teleported from out of nowhere and fell to the ground. Link quickly grabbed as she fell. When the Heroes looked over her, they noticed that she was covered in scratches and the fused shadow was gone.

"Midna...what happened?" Storm asked worriedly.

"Guys...I'm sorry." Midna said before she fainted.

"And such is the feeble power of the twilight princess." The heroes looked back to see Ganondorf, completely unharmed, holding the fused shadow. Ganondorf takes a moment to saver his victory before crushing the fused shadow in the palm of his hand. "Now what say we end this little game."

Ganondorf raised his hand and shot a wave of dark energy. The energy pushed away everyone except for Sonic and Link, who were stopped by a barrier that Ganondorf created. Ganondorf unsheathed his blade and Link and Sonic did the same. They realized now that this was the final battle that would determine their fates.

"Ganondorf, we settle this once and for all!" Link exclaimed.

"It's over, bub!" Sonic yelled.

"Then bring it." Ganondorf chuckled.

Sonic ran forward and jumped at the dark king. Ganondorf swung at him, but Sonic used his keychain to pull himself lower to the ground. This caught Ganondorf off guard and gave Sonic a chance to slice him across the waist. But oddly enough, when Sonic Keyblade made contact, it bounced off. Ganondorf took the opportunity to kick Sonic in the face and knock him away.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"You fool. Only that which cast me away can defeat me." Ganondorf said.

"And it will send you away again!" Link yelled.

Ganondorf looked above to find Link coming down with his sword above his head. Ganondorf quickly reacted in fear and locked the attack with his sword. For a moment, Sonic saw a scar of light across his chest. Fearing the blades power, Ganondorf fisted Link across the face and swung his word away. The sword land on the other side of the battle field, close to Sonic. Link fell backwards on to the ground and tried to get up until he found Ganondorf's blade close to his face.

"So...this is how the legend of the hero of time ends." Ganondorf said wickedly. "Killed by his enemy without hope."

"You forgot one thing, Ganondorf." Sonic said. Ganondorf rolled his eyes and turned around to retort. But when he did, he had found that Sonic had grabbed Link's blade and stabbed him where his scar was seen. "Me."

"B-but...how." Ganondorf gasped. "I am the king of darkness. I can't die at the hands of a rat."

"You just did." Link smirked.

Ganondorf slowly and painfully reached for Sonic's head. He grabbed it and tried to crush him, but his strength had failed him. For one moment, he saw Zant's ghost looking down on him with a smile present on his face. Finally, Ganondorf's eyes went blank and he died standing. With Ganondorf's death, the barrier broke and Sonic's friends and Midna came to congratulate them.

"That was awesome guys." Storm said.

"Outstanding." Silver said.

"Mootaga." Angel said.

"We did it." Sonic said as he gave a thumb up to Link.

"After so long, it's finally over." Link said happily as he returned the thumb up.

"If that's true, then why am I still like this?" Midna asked as she looked over her still impish form.

"Maybe it was those black creatures that cursed you, not Zant or Ganondorf." Link said. "What do you think, Zelda?" no response. "Zelda?" As Link scoured the fields, he took notice that Zelda was nowhere to be found. "Guys, where's Zelda?"

"The heartless must have come back during the fight and took her." Silver concluded. "I'm sorry, Link."

"The heartless, where can I find them?" Link asked.

"It's not that easy." Storm said. "Once the keyhole is sealed, the heartless leave the world."

"So Zelda is no longer on this world?" Link asked. The heroes nodded. "Then what are we waiting for?" The others looked at him confused. "If Zelda is on another world, I will do my best to save her."

"Sorry, Link, but you can't come." Sonic said.

"Huh? Why not?" Link asked desperately.

"If we bring you with us that would be muddling." Storm said.

"Meddling." Silver corrected annoyed.

The point is, no matter how hard we try, we just can't bring you." Sonic said sadly.

"But...Zelda." Link said sorrowfully.

"Trust me. I know what it's like to lose some you care for." Sonic said as he remembered Amy.

"Look, I know that the rule applies to people of this world." Midna said suddenly. "But does it apply to those from an alternate universe?"

"Um...No, don't think so." Silver said awkwardly.

"Then I promise I won't stop until I find her." Midna said. The others jumped back in confusion. "Look, we're friends, Link. If it wasn't for you, I would still be trapped in that dungeon. I owe you."

"Thanks, Midna." Link said.

"Besides, I still have a score to settle those black freaks." Midna stated. "When I see then, I'll gonna give them an old fashion butt whooping." Midna pretended to do karate and chopped a rock. This was a bad idea since she only hurt her hand. "Ow." The others laughed at Midna's antics. "Hey, that's not funny!"

* * *

Back at the villain's lair, Black Doom, Broly, and Espio were watching Ganondorf's final failure. Espio sneered at Sonic for his latest victory. He despised how Sonic was sucking up all the glory, yet wasn't doing a thing to look for him or Amy. 

"Humph! The filthy desert rat could have had him." Broly said. His eyes wandered to Espio. "If a certain chameleon stayed behind to help."

"I did what I was told to!" Espio snapped. "I brought the princess, didn't I?"

"Ganondorf was beyond our help." Black Doom stated. "He was already too consumed by the darkness before the heartless found him. It was only a matter of time before he fell. One should use caution before tampering with the darkness." Black Doom's three eyes all wondered over to Broly.

"Keep your concern to yourself." Broly said. "I already know how ward off the darkness." Broly turned to Espio. "One more thing, we recently picked up something that might interest you."

What are you talking about?" Espio asked suspiciously.

"We had a deal." Black Doom stated. "You help us and dear Amy shall be returned to you."

"Amy!" Espio exclaimed in surprise. "Where is she?!"

"She is on board a special vessel that has already been prepared for you." Black Doom informed. "The captain will guide you."

Just then, Captain Whisker walks into the room.

"All hands are ready to go." Whisker said. "But don't expect a pleasant voyage. Them's some ruff waters."

"Why are you doing all this?" Espio asked cautiously. "What's the catch?"

"Catch? There is no catch." Black Doom said. He floated up to Espio and placed his hand on his shoulder. "You like a son to me, Espio. I only wish what's best for you.

"I seriously doubt that." Espio scoffed as he forced away Black Doom's hand and walked to Whisker.

"Beware the darkness that lurks in your heart." Black Doom forewarned. "The heartless will culminate around, just waiting for their chance to seize it for their own." Espio waved at Black Doom's words and wandered of with Whisker. "That boy will become more trouble that I thought." Black Doom turned to Broly. "Make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."

"Whatever you say." Broly said.

Broly walked away, leaving Black Doom in the void of darkness. Black Doom ordered his squid alien to replay all of Sonic's previous battles and studied him carefully.

"I fear that he is becoming too powerful" Black Doom said. "Just like his father."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	17. Experimenting with Danger, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Sixteen: Experimenting with Danger, Part 1

Back in Hyrule, Sonic and his friends were making some last minute preparations for their leave. Silver and Angel were prepping their Gear for take off. Earlier, Midna offered her help and provided Sonic with a grey summoning gem she called Wandering Shadow. Now it was Link's turn.

"Here, I want you to have this." Link said. Link opened his hand and gave Sonic a keychain shaped like the fused shadow. "I noticed that you used these to fight."

Sonic took off his current keychain and replaced it with the new one. The Keyblade turned a black color with the a stone circle around the handle and neon spikes at the end. The Keyblade was now the Shadow Blade.

"You have to admit, that is cool." Sonic said.

"Hey, Sonic, it's time to scram!" Storm called.

"I guess I have to get going." Sonic said. Link held out his hand and Sonic took gratefully. "You really helped me a lot. You taught me that with enough courage, I can do anything."

"Just promise me you'll bring Zelda back." Link requested.

"No problem." Sonic smiled.

"I don't forget to drop a call sometime, handsome." Midna winked at Sonic.

"Uh...right." Sonic said uncomfortably. "Well...see ya." Sonic turned and ran back to his friends. "Note to self: never call her."

When Sonic returned to the group, Silver and Storm were ready to leave with Angel sitting on Storm's shoulder. Sonic jumped on to the Blue Star and Storm asked.

"What took ya so long?"

"I will never talk about it for as long as I live." Sonic told him.

With that, Sonic took off with Silver, Storm, and Angel following behind. Link and Midna waved good-bye to their new friends. But back at Ganondorf's corpse, Ganondorf was still standing, but without Link's blade in his chest. Just then, Vaati arrived to the scene. At the sight of Ganondorf's death, Vaati collapsed to his knees.

"Master...Ganondorf?" Vaati asked hoping that he would respond. "No. My master...he's..."

"Dead!" Vaati shot up at the sound of the voice. Then, Black Doom appeared in a flash of light. "Killed by the accursed hedgehog, Sonic."

"Sonic." Vaati growled. "I should have killed him when I had the chance. I will avenge you, master!"

"_His rage will empower him." _Black Doom thought. A sinister look was present on his face. _"Ganondorf's death may work to our advantage."

* * *

_

Deep in space, Sonic was taking a nap on his Gear while Storm was playing with Angel and Silver was studying the page from Mephiles' report they received from Zant.

"This is amazing." Silver said in awe. "This Mephiles was not only a respected ruler, but also an impressive scientist. It said he was studying the origin of darkness itself." Silver put the report away. "It's no wonder Black Doom would have something like this."

"And don't forget about the dragon eggs and the page from Shahra's book." Sonic reminded him. "I'm sure Shahra and Salla would be happy to have them back." Sonic looked serious for a moment. "And now that the heartless have Zelda, they only need one more princess to unlock the final keyhole."

"Then we better hurry up and find her." Storm said. "Where's the next stop?"

Silver pulled out his portable navigator and said. "We should arrive at a place called Mahri Nui within an hour."

"Nothing to do now, but sit back and relax." Sonic said.

Silver rolled his eyes and went back to work with the Mephiles report. Storm started to get hungry and reached behind his back to pull out a six-foot long sub. Storm was ready to take a big bite when he noticed Angel's expression. Angel's eyes were wide and her mouth was hanging open.

"Hey, Angel, what's up?" Storm asked. Angel pointed back and Storm looked. Just behind them was a gigantic meteor with two big red eyes. The meteor started to open up and revealed stalactites and stalagmites shaped like teeth. "Uh...guys." But the two didn't respond. "Guys." Storm screamed louder and was starting to get on his friends nerves. "GUYS!!!"

"WHAT?!" Sonic and Silver shouted.

It was then the two noticed the gigantic meteor hanging over their heads.

"Why didn't you say something, Storm?" Sonic questioned.

Storm slapped himself in the face. The four heroes tried making a brake for it but, the meteor suddenly started to take in a massive amount of air. The heroes were pulled off their Gear and hurtled into the meteor. As Sonic flew in, he hit himself in the head on a rock and slowly began to lose consciousness.

"Sonic!" Sonic heard Silver scream. Slowly, his voiced stared to fade. "Sonic...Soni...So..." and everything went black.

* * *

Sonic floated in the darkness, unable to move or breathe. Suddenly, the light returned and he found himself on Destiny Island. Sonic thought it was too good to be true and he was right. Sonic was floating in midair and just below him was a younger version of himself and Espio making their way to the secret place. 

"A monster? Yeah right." Young Espio laughed.

"It's true!" Young Sonic snapped. "It was white and stretchy! I'm telling the truth!"

"Ok, supposed there is a monster." Young Espio said. "What makes you think we can take it?"

"Hey, with the two of us together, nothing can beat us!" Young Sonic cheered then whispered. "You hear it. It sounds close."

"Let's check it out." Young Espio said. Young Espio boldly entered the secret place first, followed by Sonic. It looked the same it did last time Sonic saw it, only without the drawings. Young Espio sighed in disappointment. "There's nothing here. It's only the wind."

"No way! I just saw it!" Young Sonic exclaimed. He searched the small cave until he noticed the door. "Espio, what's that?"

"It looks like a door." Young Espio said as he moved in closer to inspect it. "But if it is, where's the handle?"

"Man, this bites." Young Sonic complained and kicked the sand.

"What did you expect on a boring island like this?" Young Espio as he turned back to Sonic. "Hey, Sonic, I've been thinking."

"About what?" Young Sonic asked.

"When we get older, let's leave this island." Young Espio said, catching Sonic by surprise. "We'll go on real adventures. Not this little kid stuff."

"Ok, but what do we do till then?" Young Sonic asked as they started to leave.

"There's this new girl staying at the mayor's house." Young Espio said. "I heard that she..."

* * *

The older Sonic was blinded by a flash of light and was forced out of his mind. Sonic had regained consciousness and started to sit up. His head was throbbing from the earlier blow. 

"Ugh...what happened?" Sonic asked.

"Look out!" Silver yelled.

All of a sudden, Sonic felt himself being pulled by his quills and moved away. A second later, a large piano landed where he once was. Sonic soon found himself safely in with the rest of his team.

"Hey, what's happening?" Sonic asked. "And what was that?"

"For those just tuning in, in today's forecast; expect showers." Storm spoke like an announcer. Just then, a safe landed on Storm. "heavy showers."

"Hey! whoever's up there, knock it off before I pummel you!" Silver yelled.

In the higher levels of the meteor, random objects were being thrown everywhere at once. But once Silver yelled, it stopped. Just then, the thrower made himself known. The thrower was a blue koala-like creature that closely resembled Angel. The only difference was the four arms, two smaller antenna, and three spines on its back.

"Gadebwa?" The creature said with a confused expression.

"What in Babylon is that?" Silver questioned.

"I don't know, but it looks familiar." Sonic said. "Where have I seen it before?"

Just then, the wall next to them suddenly collapsed and angel came out of a small hole. Angel sighed in relief that all of her friends were ok. She then noticed her friends were looking towards the upper levels and also looked up. Angel gasped in shock as the blue koala creature started walking away on the walls.

"Booji-boo?" Angel whispered before yelling. "Metay da Booji-Boo!"

Angel jumped onto the walls and started to chase after the blue Koala creature. Sonic and the others quickly noticed this and started to follow them.

"Come on, before they get away!" Sonic exclaimed.

---**Meteor Maze---**

Sonic and his companions followed Angel and the blue look-alike. It was difficult to do so since none of them could walk on walls. Along the way, Sonic discovered three dragon eggs and a dark green stone that may come in handy. Eventually, the blue koala creature leads the four heroes to a large red ship that appeared to be missing a wing and was damaged on its side. Investigating the damage was an unfamiliar alien. The alien was roundly-built, had purple skin, three thin hairs on his head, and had four small eyes. Angel jumped off the wall and landed with her friends when the blue creature landed next to the alien.

"Ah, 626, welcome back." The alien greeted. The blue alien presented a gear piece to the large alien and started speaking in a strange language. "You are saying with this, we can leave?"

"It's possible." Silver suddenly said.

Both aliens looked back to find Sonic group among them. The blue alien growled and raised his claws to attack. But when Angel jumped ahead of the group, the creature calmed.

"Angel?" The creature asked.

"Stitch." Angel said with tears in her eyes.

The blue creature known as Stitch retracted his spine and his extra limbs to make it look normal. Angel and Stitch ran to each other and embraced in a warm hug. Sonic and Silver heard noise next to them and looked over to see Storm crying in a random tissue. Sonic and Silver sweat dropped.

"Welcome back, 624." The large alien greeted.

"Do you know her?" Storm asked.

"Know her. I created her." The alien stated. "I am Jumba Jookiba, the most brilliant mind in the entire galaxy." Jumba pointed to Stitch. "And that is my greatest creation, Experiment 626."

"Last I heard; you were arrested for insane experimentations." Silver said.

"I have my moments." Jumba chuckled. "By the way, who are you?"

"I'm Sonic the Hedgehog." Sonic introduced. "These are my friends, Silver and Storm. How did you get here?"

"Most likely the same way as you." Jumba hypothesized. "After our planet was destroyed by those heartless, 626 and I were forced to wander the galaxy."

"_Is their no place the heartless hasn't destroyed?" _Sonic mentally growled.

"During our travels, we came up this rather large meteor and were sucked in." Jumba explained. "I started to wonder how until I came to a conclusion. This meteor is actually a living organism."

"You're saying were inside some monsters stomach?" Silver asked.

"Not the stomach, but close." Jumba said. But while the others were locked in a conversation, Stitch saw something moving in the shadows. The shadow motioned Stitch to follow. "Things have been hectic, but we still have you, 626." No response. "626?"

Everyone looked over to find Stitch walking off to an unknown area.

"Where's he going?" Storm asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Silver said.

"It's dangerous to wander alone, even for 626." Jumba said. "He could accidentally walk into the meteor's stomach acids."

"Then we better hurry up and catch him." Sonic said.

"I'll stay here and hold down the fort." Jumba smiled.

"_Coward." _Silver thought.

Sonic and the other heroes waved goodbye to Jumba and walked down the tunnel Stitch went down. As the exited the tunnel, they noticed that the wall were becoming thick an organic. This could easily distinguish the meteor as a living creature. On the other side of the room, they found Stitch standing next to a shadow creature.

"Hatchibe!" Angel exclaimed.

"A heartless!" Sonic yelled. Sonic summoned his Keyblade and ran towards the shadow creature. "Let him go, you freak!"

"Ouch, that hurt, Sonic." A familiar voice said. Sonic instantly stopped in his tracks at the voice. The shadow turned to reveal none other than Espio. "And here I thought we were friends."

"Espio?" Sonic questioned. "What are you doing here?"

"Just having some fun with Stitch." Espio smirked.

"That's not what I meant!" Sonic exclaimed. "Tell me, do you know where Amy is?"

"Maybe." Espio chuckled. "Catch us and I'll tell you everything I know."

"Come on!" Storm complained.

Before the heroes could take another step, Espio grabbed Stitch and ran off. Not realizing what was going on, Stitch did not refuse to Espio's plot. The heroes were prepared to chase until a new heartless group appeared. They looked like wavy ghosts with one eye hanging from a chain. The Ghost heartless disappeared and reappeared to swat Sonic back.

"You've got to be kidding me." Sonic growled.

The heartless performed the same attack, but was caught by Silver's mind trap. Silver used his powers to crush the ghosts.

"We don't have time to waste." Silver says. "We have to catch up to them."

"Easier said than done. Espio can camouflage himself and blend in with his surroundings." Sonic explained.

"Then we have to find some other ways to find him." Silver pondered. Just then, he had an idea. "Wait a minute! Angel, do you think you could sniff him out?"

"Naga! Meega no poota." Angel shook her head.

"I'll give you this." Silver tempted with a six-foot sub.

"Hey! That's mine!" Storm yelled.

Angel instantly accepted and ate the sub in one gulp. Storm was seen in the corner crying. Angel moved closer to the ground and started sniffing Espio's trail. The three anthro's followed Angel down a tunnel and found themselves in a room twice as large one they came from. The room had multiple tunnels that led to almost anywhere inside the meteor's bowels.

"Man, so many tunnels. Which one did Espio go to?" Sonic asked.

Angel took a few more deep breathes until. "Meetabe!" Angel yelled and point towards one of the highest tunnels in the room.

"You have got to be kidding me." Sonic whined. "Why does Espio always have to take the long way?"

"Not time for whining, we have to move." Silver said sternly. Just then, a grey spear stabbed itself in the ground in front of Silver. "Ok, now we can whine."

He four heroes looked up to find a horde of Ghost heartless and group of Dynast heartless. But it didn't stop there. In the ground in front of them, several Neo Shadow heartless appeared before them.

"Uh...this could be a problem." Sonic said as he summoned his Shadow Blade.

"No worries. We've taken on worse odds than this." Storm assured him. "Just keep fighting and keep your head held high."

"Wow, Storm. That was very insightful." Sonic nodded. "Did you hit your head on the way in?"

"Yeah, why?" Storm asked.

"Never mind." Sonic shrugged.

The three different type of heartless jumped up and dived at the heroes below. The heroes jumped away just as the Dynast heartless attempted to stab them with their swords. Their swords pierced through the floor, causing the meteor to roar in pain. The entire area shook from the monsters pain and everyone tripped up onto the ground. When the area stopped shaking, the heroes and the heartless slowly wobbled back to their feet.

"That was unpleasant." Silver said woozily.

"I think I'm going to be sick." Storm said. His face suddenly turned green and he puked all over one of the heartless' feet. "Never mind. I'm good."

"Ok. Don't hurt the floor and were good." Sonic said. Just then, one of the Neo Shadows swiped their claws at his head. "Wish I could say the same!"

Sonic flipped back and jumped forward and sliced the heartless in half. Behind him, a Dynast heartless came up from behind and swung its sword down on the blue hedgehog. Just then, Sonic turned around to blow a fireball from his mouth like Silver taught him. The fireball not only incinerated the Dynast, but also a row of Neo Shadows. Unfortunately, the fireball Sonic released was more powerful than expected and burned the organic wall on the side. The meteor let out another painful roar and everyone fell on their butts again. When the little quake ended, everyone, hero and heartless, glared at the hedgehog.

"Uh...Oops?" Sonic said nervously.

"Idiot." Silver muttered.

"Hey, you just taught him that." Storm sympathized.

"And I've regretted it ever since." Silver said.

Silver's attention was returned to the battle when five Neo Shadows surrounded him and swung their claws. Silver formed a psychic barrier around him to protect himself from their attacks. But just when he was safe, A Ghost heartless appeared inside the barrier and swatted the grey hedgehog in the back of the head. Silver was sent flying but rebounded off the wall and punched the ghost in the head. Unfortunately, his hand just went straight through it.

"You have got to be kidding me." Silver growled.

"Silver! Look out!" Storm yelled.

Silver's attention went back forward and found that he was heading for a pile of Neo Shadows. Silver quickly used his psychic powers to levitate and float himself out of their reach. While the heartless tried to reach him, Storm rammed in to the heartless and crushed them against the walls. Storm cheered until several neon ropes wrapped around his neck. Storm looked back to see three Dynast heartless trying to reel him in. They were successful and had Storm being dragged across the ground. Storm had enough and grabbed the ropes. He stood up and pulled on the ropes to pull the heartless forward. He reeled back his fist and obliterated them in a single punch. With most of the heartless gone, that only left room for the Ghosts.

"These freaks are still in our way." Sonic said.

"Let me handle them." Storm said as he cracked his knuckles.

"Storm! Wait!" Silver called, but Storm didn't listen.

Storm charged forward and twirled his fist around. When he came close to the Ghost heartless, he threw his fist towards their heads. Unfortunately, his attack failed him and went through the Ghosts head. Storm, caught off guard, tripped on his own two feet and slammed his beak into the wall.

"Ow." Storm's muffled voice said.

"Well that was embarrassing." Sonic said.

"Believe me, this is only the tip of the iceberg for Storm." Silver said. "How are we going to defeat them when we can't even touch them?"

This was going to be complicated. The figured the Ghosts abilities were like the Twili, but that idea was scrapped when Storm's attack failed. Just then, Angel had her chance to shine. Angel walked up to the Ghosts and began to sing. Silver learned from their battle with Zant that Angel's song changes people from evil to good. That's it! Since the heartless were pure darkness, they didn't have any good to change to. The Ghost heartless clutched their heads in agony before fading away. Sonic ran over to pry his large friend from the wall.

"That was brilliant, Angel. I never would have thought of that." Silver complimented, making Angel blush.

"At least we now have a secret weapon against them." Sonic said while trying to pull Storm out. So far he was unsuccessful. "Man, Storm, why do you have to be so fat!"

"Uh oh." Silver said bug-eyed.

Just then, Storm pulled himself out of the wall and stared at Sonic with flames in his eyes.

"I'M NOT FAT! I'M BIG BONED!!!" Storm yelled furiously

Silver grabbed Angel and quickly ran to the other side and clung to her in fear. Storm grabbed the blue hedgehog by the neck and started to pummel him into the ground. Meanwhile, a dark and shadowy figure was watching from the ceiling of the area. Nothing could be seen of this figure except for its glowing red eyes.

"626...kill!" The shadow growled.

* * *

Meanwhile, Espio and Stitch standing on opposite ends of the room, glaring at one another. Espio was glaring at Stitch while trying to wrap up the open wound on his arm. Earlier, when Stitch realized Espio was working with the creatures that destroyed his world, he bit the chameleons arm to escape. Espio prepared to draw his weapon until. 

"Espio." Espio looked back to see Black Doom appear in a flash of light. "Espio, why are you here? I specifically told you to not interfere with the Keyblade Master."

"Who said I was interfering." Espio said, ignoring Stitch.

"I see." Black Doom said interestingly. "You still care for that rat. But why? He as all but abandoned you for the Keyblade and his new companions."

"I don't care for that traitor." Espio said sternly.

"Really?" Black Doom said with more interest. "Beware the darkness that lies in your heart. The heartless shall wait for you to slip and then they will consume it."

"Mind your own business!" Espio shouted.

Black Doom, satisfied by the results, disappeared the same why he came. Stitch was entranced by the conversation and didn't notice the shadowy figure sneaking up behind him. The figure grabbed Stitch by his mouth to make sure he didn't make any noise and dragged the experiment to another section of the meteor. Before Espio could even realize this, Sonic and his friends showed up. It was a funny sight since Sonic was wearing a full-body cast and being dragged in by an angry albatross.

"I should have warned him not to say that." Silver muttered.

"Espio, what are you doing?" Sonic asked. "Why would you kidnap Stitch? And how come the heartless didn't attack you? Don't you realize that what you are doing is wrong?"

"I could say the same thing." Espio said as he glared at his former friend. "All you ever do is run around and show off that little Keyblade of yours." Espio pointed to the Keyblade in Sonic's hand. "Do you even care what happens to Amy?"

"Of course I do! What kind of question is that?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"How much do you love her?" Espio questioned.

Sonic was stunned by the question. Sonic wondered why Espio would ask such a question at an inappropriate time. Espio was becoming impatient. But much to Sonic's relief, two noises came from the room next to them. One sound like Stitch in pain and another was an inhumane roar.

"Booji-boo!" Angel cried.

"_I thought I told Black Doom to stay out of this." _Espio thought.

"Come on! We've got to help him!" Sonic shouted.

In a sudden burst of energy, Sonic broke out of his cast, fully healed. The four heroes ran past Espio and proceeded toward the noises. But before they completely passed him, Espio and Sonic exchanged one last glance. Espio watched as Sonic and his friends ran to Stitch's aid. Espio was prepared to turn and leave. But he stopped himself when he remembered the words Sonic said years ago.

"_with the two of us together, nothing can beat us!"_

Espio's mind was spinning. Which side should he choose? Black Doom would help him find Amy, but Sonic was his best friend since childhood. Espio had come to a decision. Espio held out his hand and summoned up blade shaped like a red and blade bat wing called the Soul Eater. Espio spun around on his foot and ran in the direction Sonic and his friends went.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	18. Experimenting with Danger, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter seventeen: Experimenting with Danger, Part 2

Sonic and his crew were running for miles in the living asteroid with absolutely no clue of where they were going. After an unusual encounter with Sonic's former friend, Stitch had disappeared and sounded like he was fighting for his life. The crew was on edge and Stitch's screams weren't helping any. Sonic ran down one tunnel, only to fall back to the floor on his face from the ceiling.

"Ok, that wasn't right." Sonic said. Stitch screamed again. "We get it already! Geez!"

"Face it, we are completely lost." Silver said. "It could be years before we find him."

"Booji-boo." Angel began to tear up.

"It's ok, we'll find him." Storm said while petting her head for reassurance. "Isn't there anything we can do? If Angel keeps crying I think I will too." Soon, Storm began to tear up. "Too late."

"_How did he become captain of the guard?" _Silver sweat dropped.

"But I'm completely clueless. Which tunnel do we go through?" Sonic asked.

"If you would listen carefully, you would know that he was not on this level."

Sonic and the others looked back to see Espio leaning against the wall of the tunnel they came from. Silver and Storm seemed slightly concerned, but Sonic seemed a bit more confused. Earlier, Espio looked ready to kill, but now he looked like the same he did before this adventure started. Sonic smiled for a bit before he noticed Angel shaking. At first, it looked as if she were ready to cry until she swung her head up and bared her teeth. Angel suddenly jumped at Espio, but the chameleon did not seem concerned. In a quick flash, Angel fell back with a small scratch on her cheek. Angel looked up to find Espio with his blade, the Soul Eater, held out to her.

"_Even though this is bad, that was kinda cool." _Sonic thought.

"What do you want?" Silver questioned as he helped Angel up.

"Believe it or not, but I want to help you." Espio said.

"Why should we believe you?" Sonic questioned, equally suspicious as his friends.

"Because we're old friends, Sonic." Espio smirk. The sly chameleon slung his arm over his blue friends shoulder, making him feel uncomfortable. Espio's expression turned serious and moved closer to whisper into the hedgehog's ear. "Besides, I think I found a way to help her."

Sonic jumped back slightly and stared with a confused expression. Save her? Did that mean Amy was in danger?"

"All right, we'll believe you...for now." Silver said, still not trusting him.

"So where is he?" Storm asked.

"Up there." Espio said as he pointed to the highest tunnel at the top of the area. "It is the most secluded room in the whole meteor. The most obvious place to attack."

"But how do we get up there?" Storm asked. As Storm looked back to his friends, he noticed that they were all missing. Espio was walking along the wall with Angel at his side; Silver was levitating while carrying Sonic with his mind. "What about me?!"

Sonic, Espio, and the gang, excluding Storm, finally reached the top and found Stitch fighting a completely new creature. The creature looked like an exact copy of Stitch with a different appearance. The stitch clone had red fur, tan marks over his eyes, and bigger ears and claws. But unlike Stitch, this experiment seemed more beastly and savage then even the most deadly heartless. Stitch tried to punch the creature, but the beast grabbed him by the wrist and flipped him over his shoulder to the wall.

"What in the worlds is that? "Espio questioned as he raised his blade in defense.

"627!" Angel yelled in surprise.

"Another one of Jumba's experiments. Why am I not surprised?" Silver said sarcastically.

"Looks like we got our hands full." Sonic smirked as he summoned his Keyblade. "Think you can handle it, buddy."

"Just try not to get in my way." Espio told him.

The experiment known as 627 advanced further towards Stitch when Angel came out of nowhere and kicked him in the face. Unfortunately, 627 didn't even flinch from the feeble attack. 627 reached over and grasped Angel by the neck. 627 began to crush Angel's neck when he felt a searing pain in his back. 627 released Angel and back fisted the one who attack him. When he looked back, he saw Espio jump over his fist and kicked him in the face. 627 stumbled back for a moment until Sonic came up and slashed his Keyblade upwards, sending 627 flying. 627 groaned in pain for a moment when he noticed Silver floating over him. Silver kicked 627 down, smashing his face to the ground.

"Now that's what I call teamwork." Sonic smiled.

"It was just dumb luck." Espio commented. "The faker was weak anyway."

Oh, how wrong Espio was. 627's eyes shot wide open and glowed red with anger. 627 growled as he slowly worked himself up to his knees. Suddenly, 627's fur started to give of a discharge of electricity. The electricity shot out of his fur and collided with the hero's chest, sending them flying to the walls. Just then, Storm showed up.

"I'm...here." Storm panted. As his luck would have it, Silver landed on him. "Why is it always me?"

"Ok, so I underestimated him." Espio said under his breath. "This creature must have some kind of weakness." Espio looked across the room to find Sonic refusing to give up. "That idiot never quits. But...he could be useful."

"Ow. That hurt." Sonic said as he rubbed his head. 627 was back on his feet and was advancing to the weakened Stitch and Angel. "So this guy like sparks, huh? Well, I'll give him sparks." Sonic reached into his quills and pulled out the Dragon's Roar Stone. "Yo, Spyro, I need your help!"

Sonic tossed the stone into the air and it erupted in a blast of light. Both he essence of Silver and Storm had disappeared and was replaced by the purple dragon: Spyro.

"Hey, Sonic, what's up?" Spyro asked.

"Spyro, we have a problem." Sonic told him. He pointed to 627. "See that thing over there. I could really use your help with him."

"That little guy? Are you serious?" Spyro chuckled. The purple dragon walked up to the savage beast. Spyro's laughter grew larger when he found out 627 was even smaller than him. "Why would you want to beat him? He's so cute." At that motion, 627 grabbed him by the neck. "Not cute! Not cute!!!"

627 pulled Spyro towards himself and proceeded to beat the dragon in everyway possible. Espio joined by Sonic's side and both animals cringed at the gruesome display.

"I had no idea anyone's legs could bend that way." Sonic commented.

627 grabbed Spyro by the tail and swung him around in circles before throwing him away. Sonic and Espio quickly ducked as Spyro went soaring over their heads. The animals looked back to find Spyro conked out against the wall.

"Nice choice." Espio said sarcastically. "That was real helpful."

"At least I came up with an idea!" Sonic shouted.

"And look where it got us!" Espio returned.

"You think you could do better?!" Sonic yelled.

"Actually, I could!" Espio returned.

And the argument went on and on and on. 627 sweat dropped at the sight. Having a simple displeasure of being ignored, 627 checked his teeth with a random mirror he found and walked up to the two. In the middle of their spat, 627 jumped up and growled in their faces, but they didn't seem to notice. 627 tried again, but ended with the same result.

"You couldn't hit the side of a barn!" Sonic insulted.

"You know what you can hit?!" Espio questioned.

"Yeah!" Sonic nodded.

"Him!!!" The two yelled together.

The anthro's suddenly turned and fisted the savage experiment in the face. 627 clutched his nose in pain while realizing that he had been tricked. 627 got back to his feet when he found Sonic sliding towards him. The blue hedgehog stopped in front of him and then suddenly spun around to kick his chin and knock him to the air. Espio then jumped up and slashed across the experiments body with the Soul Eater. When Espio landed, he was sure that they had won. Unfortunately, 627 flipped around in midair and dive-bombed at the hedgehog below him. Sonic quickly flipped back as 627 punched his fist through the floor. The meteor started to roar in pain, while everyone tried to stay on their feet. 627 growled in anger and forcefully ripped his hand out of the floor, leaving a giant gapping hole.

"_It has to have a weakness. Nothing is invincible." _Espio thought. 627 advanced towards Sonic and that was when he noticed the scar that still remained on his back. _"That's it. His back is his vulnerable. But how do I get to him without him noticing?"_

Sonic quickly flipped back and landed on his feet. Sonic raised his Keyblade to strike down the experiment, but 627 discharged a spark of electricity and knocked the blade out of his hand. Sonic chuckled nervously and moved back slightly. But before Sonic could take another step, 627 sucked in a deep breath and blew out a heavy frost. The frost covered the hedgehog's feet and froze him into place.

"I heard of giving someone the cold shoulder, but this is ridiculous." Sonic said. 627 sniggered loudly as he started to charge up his hands and Sonic began to pray. "Lord, if you let me live, I promise I will never play pranks on my friends again." 627 reeled back his first to strike when his hands and feet were suddenly frozen to the floor. "Thank you, Lord."

"Hey! what about me?!" Sonic looked back to see Spyro up and running. "Don't I get any credit?"

"Now's my chance." Espio muttered.

Espio swiftly gripped his Soul Eater and jumped high over the experiments head. Espio brought his blade down hard and stabbed 627 through the back. The experiment momentarily coughed up blood before falling over dead. With his time up, Spyro disappeared and Silver and Storm returned. At the same time, Sonic free himself from the icy floor and Stitch and Angel woke up. Espio glared down for a moment before pulling his blade from the experiments back. The heroes gathered around.

"A perfect ending for such a monster." Silver commented.

"You know, I feel kind of bad for him." Storm said sadly. "He was only doing what he was created for."

"But now it's over. Thanks to you, Espio." Sonic smiled.

"Don't thank me just yet." Espio said darkly.

The others showed confused expressions. Suddenly, without warning, Espio used the hilt of the Soul Eater to hit Stitch in the neck, knocking him out. Angel knew he was untrustworthy. Angel jumped at him, but Espio swatted her away like she was nothing. Silver and Storm jumped at him, but the skilled chameleon jumped back with Stitch in hand. Espio flipped backwards twice and fell through the hole 627 created to escape.

"Espio!" Sonic called down.

"He's got Stitch!" Storm exclaimed.

"Don't let him get away!" Silver ordered.

The four heroes jumped down the hole after Espio. Meanwhile, a group of Neo Shadows gathered around the dead body of 627 and consumed him. The heroes landed to the ground and surprisingly found themselves back at Jumba's ship.

"How did we end up back here?" Sonic asked.

"For once, even I don't know." Silver said confused.

"I'm hungry." Storm said randomly. Everyone gave him with a strange look. "What? I haven't eaten all day."

"626!" Everyone jumped at the sudden scream.

"That sounded like Jumba. Come on!" Silver shouted as he lead the way.

The heroes ran to Jumba, who was on the other side of the ship. Once they arrived, they looked up to find Espio standing on a tall cliff with Stitch still unconscious under his arm.

"You rotten lizard! Let my experiment go!" Jumba demanded.

"Not a chance, tubby." Espio chuckled. "You see, I still have some use for this freak show."

"He is no freak show!" Jumba yelled in outrage. "He is my perfect creation. My son."

"I must admit, it is unusual." Espio commented. "A creature with a heart, but was created and not born. With further examination, it could unlock the secrets to recovering one."

"Recovering one?" Sonic repeated. His expression turned to shock when he realized what he meant. "What...Are you talking about Amy?"

"You still haven't answered my question, Sonic." Espio said seriously. "How much do you love her?"

Sonic was confused as to why Espio would ask such a question. Espio gave one last glance before running down the tunnel behind him.

"Now what will I do?" Jumba looked down sadly.

"Don't worry, we'll get him back." Storm assured him. "Right, Sonic?" No reply. "Sonic?"

When the group turned to the hedgehog, they found that he was no longer there. Sonic was jumping off the rock formations so that he could reach the cliff where Espio stood and followed him. The rest of the hero group quickly followed him as to not let him go on his own. Along the way, Sonic encountered a horde of heartless that were in his way. Sonic was too serious to mess around and cut them all down to size as he passed them. Eventually Sonic arrived at, what appeared to be, the meteor's stomach. Acid seeped from the wall and covered most of the floor. It was there he found Espio and with the unconscious Stitch against the wall.

"Espio! You have gone too far this time!" Sonic yelled while his friends joined his side.

"I know." Espio appeared sad. "But if this creature were to lose his heart, we may learn how to save Amy's." Espio turned to Sonic. "This our chance, Sonic. We could save her like we promised. All we have have to do is work together."

"I will save her, but not your way." Sonic spat while summoning his Keyblade.

"What?!" Espio exclaimed in surprise. "You would rather fight me? Over this freak of nature?"

"He's no freak. He's a living being." Sonic stated. "I've gotten by this adventure by following my heart. It's lead me to many worlds and gave me new friends that I could count on. Stitch's heart is the same." Sonic looked down sadly for a moment before looking back to his former friend. "But now...I'm starting to wonder if YOU have one."

Espio flinched at the comment. Espio placed his hand over his chest to where his heart was. He was surprised to find...there was no heartbeat. Espio began to wonder if Sonic was right. Maybe he was the heartless one. Suddenly, a strange creature jumped from the ceiling and landed between the two. They were shocked to find that it was 627, only his fur was black and he had four tentacles protruding from his back. Espio took this opportunity to disappear in a flash of light.

"627. He's alive." Strom said.

"Just when you thought things couldn't get any better." Silver said sarcastically.

"Espio." Sonic whispered.

The new heartless 627 went on the attack by striking at the heroes with his tentacles. The four heroes jumped away in time as the tentacles struck the ground with heavy force. The Meteor groaned in more pain and shook the area. The heroes were already having enough trouble standing with the acid around them.

"Watch it guys. One false move and were lunch." Silver forewarned.

"Mmm...lunch." Storm said in a daze.

Silver smacked himself. All of a sudden, huge hole appeared on the walls and began to fill the area with more acid. Both heroes and 627 jumped up to the higher levels. Suddenly, Angel noticed Stitch still lying on the ground and a wave of acid was headed for him. Taking her chances, Angel stretched her antenna and grabbed Stitch by his shoulders and pulled him to safety. The heroes were now at a disadvantage. They were all trapped on single pads and 627 seemed to be presenting a sinister smile. 627 then dipped his tentacles into the acid and appeared to be sucking it into his body.

"He's absorbing the acid." Silver examined.

"Can he do that?" Storm questioned.

627 opened his mouth and released a stream of acid at Sonic. Sonic looked for a place to run, but their wasn't any. Just as it looked like Sonic was finished, the keychain for Sonic's new Shadow Blade activated and Sonic disappeared.

"Oh no! Sonic's been turned to mush!" Storm cried.

"What are you talking about? I'm right here." Sonic's voice called.

The two looked around the room but couldn't find anything. They then looked to where Sonic stood and saw that his shadow was still there.

"Sonic, is that you?" Silver asked shakily.

"Of course it's me. why wouldn't it be?" Sonic asked.

"Uh, you might not know this, but...you're a shadow." Silver explained.

"Really?" Sonic looked at himself and saw that he was indeed a shadow. "Cool. My new keyblade power is here. And just in time, too. Now it's time to give that freak a real taste of the shadows."

The new Shadow Sonic climbed along the walls with ease like a real shadow to avoid the acid. 627 once again started to suck up more acid and prepared to release it. just when he was ready to attack, Sonic jumped out of the shadow behind him and kicked the experiment forward. 627 fell into the acid and slowly started to burn away. Everyone looked away. It might have been the right thing, but no one deserves to die that way.

"Not even I would wish such a fate on him." Silver whispered. Silver bowed his head as a sign of respect. Suddenly, the whole meteor began to rumble. "The meteor's taken too much damage! It's ready to blow!"

Silver and Storm ran out another tunnel that was conveniently placed next to them. Angel picked Stitch, but took of towards another tunnel. Sonic started to run towards the tunnel his friends went before he stopped. He looked back and started to ask only one thing.

"Espio, what happened to you?"

Out in space, the living meteor groaned in pain and suddenly spit out several objects at once. A part of the mess was Sonic and his friends, who had luckily landed on their Extreme Gear. Another part was Jumba's spaceship, which was now miles away and out of sight.

"Whew, that was a close one." Silver said.

"Yeah, but at least we're all safe." Sonic smirked. "And best of all we help Stitch escape and returned Angel to where she belongs."

"Yeah, but I am going to miss her." Storm said sadly.

"Miss who?"

At the sound of the voice, the crew looked back to Storm. The next moment, Angel crawled out from behind Storm and plopped on his head.

"Angel!" Storm cried as he reached to hug her.

"What about Stitch and Jumba?" Silver asked surprisingly.

"Angel, stay." Angel told them happily.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Silver asked. "From here on out, things are going to be extra dangerous. Stitch and the others will be worried."

"Angel go. A-advent-ture now. F-famil-ly oketaka." Angel strained out, still not having perfected her English.

"All right then. Look's like we have a new member to the group." Sonic held his hand to her. "Welcome aboard, Angel."

Angel smiled and gladly took his hand to shake it. Now the heroes had one more member to add to their growing group. It was obvious that from this point, things would never be the same.

* * *

Meanwhile, a steel battleship was lazily sailing across the galaxy. Aboard the ship, Espio looked down to Amy as she slept. But unfortunately, he knew she wasn't sleeping. Espio made a promise to protect her and now he's failed. Espio reached to his heart, but there was still no beat. Shivers went down his spine when a cold, black hand landed on his shoulder. 

"So, this is it?" Espio asked sorrowful. "Amy is just a lifeless puppet now?"

"Yes." Black Doom's voice answered. "This is what happen when one loses their heart."

"I thought if I could use that experiment, I could find a way to save her." Espio explained. "But 627 proved my theory to be false."

"There are other ways." Black Doom stated.

"Like how?" Espio asked hopefully.

"There are seven maiden who possess the purest hearts in the universe." Black Doom explained. "We beings of the highest powers refer to them as the Princess of Hearts."

"Princess of Hearts?" Espio repeated.

"When brought together, they have the power to open a gateway to the heart of all worlds." Black Doom finished.

"How do I find them?!" Espio questioned.

"We already possess six princess. But the last one has always seemed to have eluded our grasp. That's where you come in." Black Doom said amusingly. "I want you to find the last princess and bring her to me. And to assist you, I will grant you a very special gift." Black Doom placed his hand on Espio's head. "I grant you the power to control the heartless!"

A eerie green aura surrounded Black Doom's hand and began to spread around Espio's body. Espio felt a tremendous shift of power he never knew existed. When the aura dimmed, he looked back to Amy with a promise.

"Soon, Amy, I will save you." Espio said in a low voice. "With or without Sonic."

As Espio left the room, Black Doom began to chuckle evilly.

"Those who don't learn from their past are doomed to repeat it." Black Doom said. "Isn't that right...Zoan?"

* * *

**A new addition has been added to the heroes of hearts: Experiment 624: Angel. Please read and review**


	19. Kicking off the Namek Cup

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Eighteen: Kicking Off the Namek Cup

After their escape from the living meteor, Silver figured it would be best if they went back to Traverse Town. Along with them, the newest member of the team: Angel. Once arriving back, they noticed that the repairs of the town were coming along.

"At least the towns still safe." Storm said.

"No thanks to that guy in the black coat." Silver stated. "I wonder who he was anyway."

The heroes shrugged. As they made their way to the third district, Sonic could help but feel he was being watched. Standing atop a building roof, a man in a black coat stared intently at the blue hedgehog. The moonlight slightly revealed his features, including the black skulls on his hands. Sonic looked up to the roof top, but the mysterious figure was gone.

"Sonic, hurry up!" Silver called.

Sonic seemed hesitant, but followed anyway, not seeing the three red eyes. Sonic run up to the group.

"What took you?" Storm asked.

"I...just got this funny feeling." Sonic said unusually nervous.

"If you need to use the bathroom, just hold it." Silver said.

"That's not what I meant!" Sonic yelled.

"Whatever." Silver shrugged. "I need to talk to Omega about modifying the Extreme Gear. And some new information about the heartless."

"I need to get these to their proper owner." Sonic said as he held out the few pages. Sonic put them away and pulled out the dark green stone he found in the meteor. "And maybe Shahra can bring him back."

"And I'll be at the nearest sub shop." Storm said, his beak dripping with drool. The crew stared at him Strangely "What?! I haven't eaten in hours."

"Figures. All he can think about is his stomach." Silver groaned.

"Hachi chiba." Angel shook her head disappointingly.

The group split up. Silver and Angel made their way to the small house. Sonic traveled past the house and to the wooden door. Storm ran back to the first district for...well, you pretty much know. Sonic stopped at the wooden door and clapped his hands together. Just as Silver taught him, Sonic breathed a jet of fire and opened the door.

"Hah! In your face, Silver!" Sonic cheered. Sonic could then smell a whiff of smoke. "Hey, what's cooking?"

Sonic looked back and noticed his tail was on fire. Shahra was peacefully reading her book when a great gust of wind ran past her. Shahra set the book down and noticed Sonic running around with his tail on fire.

"What's happening?!" Shahra screamed.

"What does it look like?! Do something!" Sonic screamed. Sonic was literally dragging his butt across the floor. Shahra waved her hands and summoned a pail of water over his head. The pail landed on his head and extinguished the fire. "Thanks."

"My pleasure." Shahra said. "Now is there a reason you're trying to burn my home?"

"That whole fire thing was not my fault." Sonic proclaimed. Shahra tapped her fingers on the table. "Ok it was, but I have something for you."

Sonic pulled out the pages he found during his travels. Shahra gratefully took them. Using her extraordinary magic, the pages levitated out of her hands and floated over to the pedestal with the book. The book flung wide open and consumed the pages before slamming itself shut.

"Now that is cool." Sonic commented.

"This is good. Only a few more pages and the life inside the book will be restored." Shahra said with a smile.

"Life?" Sonic asked.

"Yes. I've discovered the book is actually another world." Shahra explained. "But without the pages, the life of the people that in habit it can not be restored."

"Don't worry, I'll find those pages and make everything right." Sonic said with his signature thumb up.

"They will be grateful." Shahra smiled. "Now, let's take a look at that stone you brought."

"_How does she know that?!"_ Sonic mentally screamed.

Sonic reached into his quills and pulled out the dark green stone. Shahra took it into her hand and waved her other hand across it. While Silver was speaking to Omega and Storm was ready to take a bite out of his sub, both disappeared. A ghostly figure appeared in the stone and broke out in a flash. Sonic was now staring face-to-face with dark skinned raptor. It held three sharp claws, a strong tail and legs, and fin-shaped spines on its back. At the sight of the beast, Sonic screamed. To his surprise, the beast also screamed. Sonic stopped and the beast stopped.

"Uh...Sit?" Sonic commended. To his surprise, the beast sat down. "Roll over?" The beast rolled on the floor. "Play dead." the beast clutched its heart and fell on its back. "He's like a little puppy. I always wanted my own dinosaur."

"I don't believe it. It's the fabled Zilla."

"Zilla?" Sonic asked.

"Zilla is a fabled monster that has destroyed many worlds." Shahra explained.

"Aw, he's not that bad." Sonic said while rubbing Zilla's belly. Zilla wagged his tail happily. "See, he likes me."

"Just be careful." Shahra warned. "Who knows what he could do?"

Sonic recalled Zilla back into the summoning gem. When he did that, Silver and Storm out from nowhere and landed on the blue hedgehog. And the worst part was that Storm was on top.

"So, found a new summoning gem, huh?" Silver glared.

"My sandwich!" Storm cried.

After taking a while to update and fill Storm's bottomless stomach, the trio walked back to the entrance of the town. There, they found Angel leaning against the Gear, checking Silver's communicator.

"Hey, Angel, what are you doing?" Sonic asked.

Angel started jabbering on about the communicator, but no one could understand her. Silver took the communicator and flipped it on. Vector and Charmy appeared on screen.

"Hey, what's up, guys?" Silver asked.

"Great news, Silver." Vector said.

"Budo..." Charmy started to scream until Vector clamped his mouth shut.

"Budokai is hosting another tournament and they want you and Storm to be there." Vector informed.

"No fair! I wanted to say that!" Charmy whined.

"Well that's just too bad!" Vector yelled.

"Ok, I get it." Silver interrupted. "Just tell Roshi that we'll be there soon." Silver flipped off the communicator. "Look's like Mahri Nui will have to wait a while."

"Budokai, here we come!"

The town entrance opened up and the four quickly took off in a flash. The heroes flashed by the miles of space and made it to Budokai in record time. The four made a successful landing and set their Gear next to the wall. The walked through the doors of the coliseum and quickly found their old friend. I mean _really_ old friend.

"Greetings, Master Roshi." Silver respectively bowed.

"Oh, I was afraid you boys wouldn't make it." Roshi said. "This one promises to be a doozy."

"Bring it on! On can take whatever comes my way!" Sonic cheered.

"No you won't." Roshi said, causing Sonic to face fault. "This one is only for Silver and Strom."

"How come." Sonic whined childishly.

"You already have a chance at the Dragon Cup." Roshi explained. "If you win the next tournament, you're a shooing for the spot. But these two lost in the first tournament." Silver and Storm held there heads down in shame. "If they win this, they will instantly earn spots in the Dragon Cup."

"But what if Silver and I fight each other?" Storm asked. "Then what?"

"That's the beauty of it." Roshi chuckled. "This is a double team tournament."

"A double team tournament?" Everyone repeated.

"You two will be on the same team and win together." Roshi explained. "I've already taken the liberty of putting your names in. and you're up in the first round. Better hurry."

"Al right! We're first!" Storm cheered.

"Let's show them what we got." Silver said.

As Silver and Storm made their way to the stage, Angel was comforting Sonic, who was moping in the corner.

"I'm supposed to be the hero." Sonic wept.

**

* * *

---Team Babylon vs. Team Fusion---**

Silver and Storm stepped up to the arena and found that their opponents were a couple of children. The first child appeared young than his partner. He looked like a miniature version of Goku with the hair, uniform, and everything. The second child was slightly taller than his partner. He had white-silver hair, a black gi, and an orange belt and wristbands. The two children were stretching while giggling with excitement.

"We're fighting kids." Storm said in surprise. He soon started laughing. "This will be over in a snap."

"The one thing I've learned in my life is to never underestimate your opponent." Silver said seriously. "Keep your guard up."

"Welcome to the Namek Cup!" Roshi announced over the loudspeakers. "In the first match, it's Silver and Storm vs. Trunks and Goten! Let the tournament begin!"

"Come on, Goten!" The white haired boy said.

"Right behind you, Trunks!" The mini-Goku said.

The two children jump to the air and sent flying kicks to the animals. Silver jumped behind Storm to use as a shield. The children kicked against Storm's massive chest, only to be bounce back. Silver flipped over his friend and waved his hand around the air. A current suddenly picked up and blew the boys away. The children slammed on the floor, nearly falling out of the arena.

"Ow! That hurt!" Goten cried.

"Stop being such a baby." Trunks said.

The two sat up and rubbed their throbbing heads. They quickly bounced back up to their feet. The children looked up to see Silver yawning and Storm picking something out of his beak.

"Hey, are you making fun of us?" Goten asked.

"It's not our fault." Silver stated. "You guys are just too weak to fight us."

"No! You're just winning because you're hiding behind that fat guy!" Trunks said.

"_Kid...you're dead." _Silver thought.

"I'M NOT FAT! I'M BIG BONED!!!" Storm yelled at the top of his lungs.

Silver quickly stepped to the side as Storm went on a rampage. The boys screamed and tried to run away. Silver used his mental powers to levitate in the air as to not get caught in the middle. Storm and the boys were running around the ring so fast that a huge cloud of dust formed. As the dust cleared, Storm was panting in the center of the arena, but Goten and Trunks were nowhere to be found. Silver floated down to land next to his comrade.

"Hey, where'd they go?" Storm asked.

"You now how children can be." Silver said. As he looked around, he too couldn't find them. "They couldn't have just vanished."

"Hey! Up here!" Trunks voice sounded.

Storm and Silver looked up to see the young boys flying in midair. Trunks raises his hands over his head and forms a large ball of yellow energy. Goten cups his hands to his side and created a blue wave of energy.

"FINISH BUSTER!" Trunks yelled.

"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" Goten yelled.

The childish duo thrust both attacks forward to the arena. Storm dropped to the floor, covering his face with his hands, while Silver remained stern. Silver clasp his hand together before thrusting them out to his sides. The attacks nailed the arena together and exploded in a wave of lights. Trunks and Goten chuckled sheepishly, thinking they went a little overboard. But they became relaxed and scared when they noticed that the two were still standing. Silver had used his powers to create a large barrier to protect them.

"I must admit. Even I wasn't expecting that." Silver panted.

"Looks like your little trick failed." Storm smirked. Storm cracked his knuckles. "Ready to go again."

"NO!!!" The boys screamed and flew away.

"Trunks and Goten have forfeited!" Roshi announced. "The winners are Silver and Storm!"

"What just happened?" Storm said in surprise.

"I have no idea." Silver said.

**

* * *

---Team Mist vs. Team Metal---**

Sonic and Angel were sitting in the stands when Silver and Storm joined them.

"Hey, nice match out there." Sonic commented.

"Thanks." Storm said.

"So who's up next?" Silver asked.

"Let's begin the next match!" Roshi announced. "In this match, it's the Demon Bros. vs. Metal and Cream!"

Sonic's mouth dropped to the floor. On one side of the arena, Metal and his young apprentice, Cream, were ready for the match. On the other side, two humans wearing breathing masks, dark blue cloaks, and both had metal claws on opposite hands. They brothers were grinning under they masks and flashing their claws to scare Cream.

"They look scary." Cream said nervously.

"You'll have to get over it." Metal said. "Especially since you are going to fight them alone."

"What?" Cream squeaked.

"If you are to become a true heroine, then you must learn to overcome all fears." Metal said wisely. Metal placed his hand on top of Cream's head. "Don't worry. Nothing bad will happen."

"You sure?" Cream asked.

"Cream, when you were born, I promised your mother that I would always protect you." Metal said. "I always keep my promises, no matter what."

"Thank you, Sonikku." Cream said.

"It's Metal!" Metal yelled.

"Let the match begin!" Roshi shouted.

The Demon Bros. went on the attack and Metal pushed Cream to the center of the arena. The oldest brother swiped his claw down on the rabbit, but Cream jumped back. As Cream landed, the other brother ran up behind her. With her large ears, Cream could easily hear him from behind. As the brother swiped his claws across, Cream flapped her ears and took to the skies.

"How come everyone can fly except me?!" Sonic whined.

"Shut up!" A random patron yelled and threw some popcorn on him.

Back to the fight. Cream floated in midair and away from the brothers. Or so she thought. The two brothers clasped the claws together and separated, creating a spiked chained connecting the two. The older brother twists his sibling around and tossed him towards the rabbit. The brother swung his claw, but missed when Cream ducked down. What she didn't realize was that was a part of their plan. The younger brother twisted his claw, causing the chain to loop around Cream.

"Now is your time to die." The younger said to the rabbit.

"Time to finish this." The older said. the older brother tried to pull back his claw, but something stopped him. "What?"

The brother looked over this shoulder to see Metal gripping his claw. Cream took this opportunity to escape from the loop and fly higher. Cream, with a flame of confidence in her eyes, kicked forward, nailing the brother in the face. The brother was flung out of the ring and so was the older sibling because of their connected chain.

"It's over!" Roshi announced. "Metal and Cream are the winners!"

"We did it, Metal!" Cream yelled happily as she flew down and hugged her teacher.

"No, Cream, you did it." Metal said joyously. "You're mother would be so proud of you."

Cream cried tears of joy at her master's praise. Meanwhile, Silver and Storm were on edge from the match.

"Metal didn't even fight and they won." Storm said. "They both make one tough team."

"I hate to say it, but you're actually right." Silver said.

"Aw, don't tell me you guys are scared." Sonic teased.

"No, of course not!" Storm and Silver said simultaneously.

The true was, they were so nervous; you could hear their bones rattle. The rest of the tournament was uneventful as the first two. Silver and Storm were sliding by the rounds and Metal and Cream were winning with ease. As the tournament progressed, Sonic clearly noticed that Metal hadn't fought a single round. He was up to something. The time had come for the final match.

**

* * *

---Team Babylon vs. Team Metal---**

"Are you ready for this?!" Roshi shouted. The audience was so loud, Sonic and Angel had to tape their ears shut. "Then here we go! The final match of the Namek Cup! Silver and Storm vs. Metal and Cream!"

Everyone cheered the highest they ever did. Especially Silver and Storm's fan club. The four combatants made their way to the center stage. Silver was focused, Storm was hungry, Cream was nervous, and Metal...I'm not really sure. The four jumped into the arena and exchanged glances like in the old western films. A tumble weed came out of nowhere and passed between them.

"Are you ready for this, Cream?" Metal asked.

"Uh-huh." Cream replied.

"This is it, Storm." Silver said.

"I've been waiting for this." Storm said as he bashed his fist together.

"Let the final round of the Namek Cup begin!" Roshi yelled.

Silver ran to Metal, while Storm charged forward and Cream did the same. Storm thrust his fist down, but Cream gracefully flipped over him.

"Too slow." Cream taunted.

"Hold still!" Storm exclaimed.

Storm turned around and punched the ground again. Cream jumped over him and flipped around to kick him in the beak. Unfortunately, Cream was still just a little girl and hurt her foot on contact. Cream jumped on one foot while holding the other.

"Ow, that hurt." Cream said.

"And it's only going to get worse." Storm sniggered.

Meanwhile, Silver summoned a horde of chaos spears at Metal, but the robot summoned his Metal Blade to repel them. Metal slammed his hand to the ground and released a wave of electricity that spread through the entire arena. Silver flipped up off the ground and remained levitated. Cream also saw the wave coming and flapped her ears to fly. Storm, on the other hand was not so lucky. Storm was caught in the electric surge and was completely covered in ash

"Anyone for fried chicken?" Metal joked.

"You'll pay for that!" Storm fumed.

Storm shook his feathers to get rid of the ash. The albatross recklessly ran forward to attack Metal, But Cream came out of nowhere and hit him in the beak. Storm staggered back and covered his aching beak. Cream swung her ears around and slapped him silly. Storm grabbed her ears and threw her across the arena. Storm ran up to her and jumped to perform a full body slam. Cream rolled to the side to avoid the blow. Meanwhile, Silver landed back on the ground and clapped his hands before breathing out a jet of fire. Metal held out his blade and sliced the flames in half.

"Fire and light won't work against this guy." Silver analyzed. "And judging from his attack, he's a lightning user."

"You seem to be catching on." Metal said. "This match is becoming intense and I haven't even used my ultimate attack."

"If that's true, then it's most likely a lightning element, too" Silver said. "The only element that can defeat lightning is wind. But I don't have a wind technique strong enough."

"I think it's time we end this." Metal said.

Metal gripped his right claw, creating an electrical surge around it. While Metal prepared for his final technique, Cream knew this is where she stepped down. Cream quickly jumped out of the ring and hid in the stands. The surge from Metal's claw scattered frantically across the entire coliseum, shocking a few random patrons. Metal focused all of his energy around his claw to tame it. With all preparations complete, Metal jumped high into the air. Metal's jump became higher than anyone could have predicted. Metal shot past the cloud and even near the atmosphere of the world. Suddenly, he shot down at blinding speed with his claw held out. Silver quickly ran to Storm to cover him as Metal's claw made contact with the ground.

"METAL SURGE!!!" Metal screamed.

The arena exploded in an electric blast of atomic proportions. Sonic and Angel shield there eyes from the roaring clouds of rubble and dust. Numerous patrons were sent flying out of their seats. As the dust slowly began to clear, Metal was the first person to emerge from it. Metal seemed winded and most of his armor began to lose its shine.

"I should have realized." Metal muttered. "In exchange for power, my body takes equal damage. But...did it work?"

Metal weakly staggered over to the other side of the arena where Silver and Storm once stood. To his eternal surprise, a wall made of enormous gusts of wind stood in their place. The winds died down and Storm and Silver were standing. A few scratches and burns maybe, but still standing. Metal dropped to his knees from the lack of energy. Metal realized that this was the end. but one thing kept bothering him.

"A wall of wind." Metal said. "I did not know such a technique existed."

"It doesn't." Silver panted. "I made it up just now."

"Then I guess this is where it ends." Metal stated. Metal raised his hand and said. "I surrender."

"It's all over folks!" Roshi announced. "The winners are Silver and Storm!"

"We did it!" Storm cheered.

"Yeah. I guess we did." Silver chuckled. Silver walked up to Metal and held his hand out to him. "That was a great match. You are one of the greatest opponents I have ever faced."

"A perfect end to a perfect match." Metal said as he took his hand. "The king would be proud of you."

Metal stood up and the two shook hands. Cream jumped into the arena and hugged Storm as a show of fair play. The crowd cheered for them. Not because of the match, but because of their good sportsmanship.

* * *

Later, Silver and Storm met up with Sonic, Angel, and Roshi in the hall. 

"That was a good show, boys." Roshi said. "Why, if I was fifty years younger, you might even give me a run for my money."

"You got tired from walking to the ring." Sonic muttered.

Roshi heard this and walked the hedgehog with his cane.

"Show some respect to your elders!" Roshi exclaimed. He turned back to Silver and Storm. "Anyway, because you two have won, you two have each been given spots in the Dragon Cup."

"Yahoo!" Storm cheered and hugged Silver.

"What about me?" Sonic asked.

"If you can win the next tournament, then you will have a chance." Roshi said. "But don't get your hopes up. Goku will be in that tournament and he's not one to be taken lightly."

"Well neither am I." Sonic said, his eyes flared with anxiety "I'll finally prove myself worthy of being the Keyblade Master by defeating Goku and winning the Dragon Cup!"

The rest of the crew were inspired by Sonic's confidence. They knew with him, they would complete their mission and save their friends. The Key crew left the coliseum and Roshi watched on with a gleam hidden behind his glasses.

"_He's young and foolish, but he is also very confident." _Roshi thought. _"And who knows? Maybe...he just might win."_

Back with the heroes, they had just arrived at their Gear and packed up everything before moving on. Storm placed Angel on his shoulders and followed his friends out into space.

"I must say, that was actually...fun." Silver said smiling.

"I don't believe it. You're actually smiling." Sonic joked. "You know, you should do that more often."

"I think I'll keep that in mind." Silver chuckled.

"What...now?" Angel struggled, still perfecting her English.

"Next stop...Mahri Nui." Silver said.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	20. Behind the Mask, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Nineteen: Behind the Mask, Part 1

After their successful victory at Budokai, the Sonic Team was headed for their next destination. Storm and Angel were reading their manga, while Silver was continuing with Sonic's magic lessons. So far, Sonic could create a successful fireball, but had no talent with the chaos spears.

"Today, I will teach you another element." Silver said.

"Another?" Sonic scratched his head.

"In the universe, there are seven elements: Earth, Fire, Wind, Water, Lightning, Light, and Darkness." Silver explained. "The fireballs are obviously fire. And the chaos spears are a form of light." Silver crossed his arms and nodded. "You are able to use the fire element without much difficulty. But I am worried that you haven't created a chaos spear. Either your magic is not respondent to light or you just a complete loser."

"Thanks for the compliment." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Moving on, I believe its time we move on to water." Silver pulled out a pouch and poured out a hand full of water. "Now pay attention. You never know when you might need this to get you out of a jam."

Silver closed his eyes and started to focus solely on the water in his hand. Suddenly, the water came to life and levitated above him. The formless blob shifted around to change its shape. The water transformed into a miniature shark. The water swam around space and around Sonic's head before returning to Silver's hand. The water returned to its original shape.

"Nice." Sonic grinned.

"Now it's your turn." Silver said; pouring the water into his hands. "Just focus on one point of the water. The rest will follow."

Sonic closed his eyes and focused on the center of the small puddle. When he reopened them, the water didn't even make a drip. Sonic snapped his eyes shut and focus till his brain started to hurt. Finally, he got some results. A small bubble floated from the puddle, only to explode a second later in his face.

"Not a word." Sonic glared at Silver, who was holding in his laughter.

"Don't worry. It's nothing to be ashamed of." Silver said. "Water is the third most difficult element next wind and darkness. You'll get the hang of it."

"Hey guys, look!" Storm shouted as he pointed ahead.

"Taboocha!" Angel pointed as well.

They had arrived at world with white mountains, cities in visible domes, and a large stone cord that reached to the sky. The Team would land if it wasn't for one major problem.

"The whole place is under water!" Storm exclaimed. "How do we get down there?"

"This is perfect." Silver said happily, much to the confusion of the others. "When I was a student, my master taught me a spell that can alter a person's physical form." Silver clapped his hands together. "I'll get us down there."

"We're not going to turn inside-out, are we?" Sonic asked.

"Uh...Maybe." Silver said uncertainly.

"WHAT!?" The others screamed.

But it was too late. A strange light emitted from Silver's hands and the group was plunged into the water world.

* * *

**---Mahri Nui---**

A few seconds later, the group reappeared on the world; their insides still in place. Sonic found it amazing how he breathed the water like it was air. He felt his face when he finally noticed the change. Their bodies were machine-like structures, but they still had biological parts like their brains and hearts and they also all wore masks. Sonic was blue with six spikes sticking out his back and a curved mask. Silver was white with numerous symbols on his arms and a spiked mask. Storm was grey and larger than the others with a stubbed mask

"Good, we're not inside-out." Sonic said relieved.

"Did you guys seriously doubt me?" Silver asked.

"Yes." The two answered.

"Hey, where's Angel?" Storm asked; concerned for his little buddy.

"Takoota." Angel said as she emerged from the shadows.

"Angel, you're all ri..."

Storm stopped in mid-sentence when he got a good look of Angel. Angel was still organic and had clawed hands and feet, red eyes, daggered teeth, two tentacles on her head, and three sets of organic wings.

"What happened to her?" Storm said as he held her. "She's turned into a monster." Angel gave him a look that said 'as if that wasn't obvious'. "Well, more of one anyway."

"That must be how creatures of this world look like." Silver examined.

"But then what are we?" Sonic asked.

As if the world had heard them, a large explosion erupted not far from them. Just then, two people similar to them entered into the area. One was red with detailed mask, carried an enlarged saber and had a small crab following him. The other was blue with a breathing mask, had six wings, and three enlarged talons on the left hand. The duo stopped not far from them.

"Way to be discreet, Jaller." The blue one said in a female voice.

"At least we're safe from those things, Hahli." Jaller said. Jaller turned his head and noticed the group. "I didn't know there were more toa."

"Toa?" Sonic whispered to Silver.

"That must be the species of the inhabitants." Silver guessed.

"This is great." Hahli said as the duo moved in closer. "With all the things happening around here, we could use some reinforcements."

"You're rushing it a bit, but we'll be happy to help." Sonic said. Sonic noticed the eyes through their masks went unblinkingly. "What? Is it my breath? Can I even breathe?"

"N-no, it's not that." Hahli stuttered.

"It's just that...We've never seen a male ga-matoran." Jaller said awkwardly.

"A what?" Sonic asked.

"I guess that's the name of female race of this world." Silver guessed again.

"I'm a girl!" Sonic exclaimed. "Oh man, that's sucks big time!"

"This world?" Hahli asked. "What do you mean this world?"

"NOTHING?!" The gang shouted quickly.

"Anyway, My name is Jaller, leader of the Mahri Nui toa." Jaller shook hands with Sonic. "And this is my good friend, Hahli." Though only Angel was the only one to notice, Hahli looked sadden by Jaller's statement. "And you would be?"

"My name is Sonic." Sonic introduced. "These are my friends: Silver and Storm." Sonic picked up Angel. "And this little monster is named Angel."

"I wish we could have met under better conditions." Jaller said. "But now isn't the time to talk."

"How come?" Storm asked.

Just then, Jaller mask began to glow. He swiftly turned around and pointed towards the rock wall. The crab turned to the place where Jaller pointed and shot a bullet of red energy toward it. The wall exploded and several dark creatures emerged from the debris. The creatures looked like green divers with propellers on their heads and carrying harpoons. They weren't identified until the heroes saw the symbol on their chest.

"The heartless are here, too?" Storm said.

"Why am I not surprised." Silver said.

"Everyone, be on you guard." Jaller said as he raised his sword.

The heartless known as Screwdrivers activated their propellers and dashed forward. Jaller and Hahli were lucky enough to dodge, but the others weren't. Sonic and Storm were knocked to the rocks and Angel was thrown clear across the area. The symbols on Silver's arms glowed light-blue and created a barrier that protected him. The symbols began to glow yellow and Silver summoned up a storm of chaos spears. But the Screwdrivers were too quick to be hit. As one swam around to stab Silver with their harpoons, Hahli came out of nowhere and sliced it in half with her talons. The same thing happened with Jaller saving Storm from the heartless attack.

"I said be on your guard." Jaller growled lightly. "We don't know what these things are capable of."

"But we do." Sonic said with a devilish smirk. "Sonic Team, move!"

"Sonic Team?" Storm and Silver questioned.

"Just fight." Sonic said lazily.

Storm jumped into the path of one of the screwdrivers. The Screwdriver rammed into Storm's masculine chest, cracking its head open slightly. Storm grabbed its head and swung it around like a bat to destroy two Screwdrivers passing by. Angel swam past the Screwdrivers in a flash thanks to the speed her new gave her. Angel used her new claws to cut the Screwdrivers into tiny pieces. When two Screwdrivers attacked from behind, her head tentacles came to life all on their own. The tentacles wrapped around the Screwdrivers necks and smashed them along the walls.

"_They're alive." _Angel thought; her mental English was better than her physical. She stroked both of them. _"I like them."_

"Nice, Angel!" Sonic called. "Now it's my turn!"

Three screwdrivers dashed forward as Sonic summoned his Shadow Blade. Two simultaneously stabbed at Sonic with their harpoons, but Sonic raised his transformed weapon to lock them in place. But while he was blocking, it left him wide open. The remaining one swam around and attempted to stab him in the back.

"This is bad!" Sonic panicked. But without knowing it, Sonic activated a secret ability to his new body. The spikes on his back extended themselves to stab the heartless and destroy it. "I didn't know I could do that."

"Sonic, get out of the way!" Jaller shouted.

Not one to ask questions, Sonic struggled for a moment before pushing the heartless back. Jaller held out his sword as it suddenly created a wave of fire. The thing that caught the heroes off guard was that he created a fire in an underwater world. The fire wave disintegrated the Screwdrivers on contact.

"So cool!" Storm shouted joyously. "I wish I could do that!"

"Yeah. It is...cool." Silver said, not used to saying such words. "And impressive, too. I didn't think anyone could create a fire underwater."

"You don't know Jaller." Hahli floated next to them. "He is not only brave, but strong and dedicated as well."

Angel was the only one to notice the yearning sigh Hahli gave out. Angel could tell how she was feeling. After all, she felt it herself at one point or another. Angel moved to comfort her, but stopped when a harpoon passed her from out of nowhere. The group saw this and turned towards the path Jaller and Hahli came from. A swarm of Screwdriver heartless was making their way towards them. The screwdrivers reeled back their arms and threw a barrage of harpoons. Acting quickly, Silver's symbols glowed light-blue as he created a barrier to protect them.

"There's too many of them." Silver grunted; trying to keep the barrier up. "We can't fight against odds like these."

"We don't have to." Hahli said. Suddenly, she dashed out into the open.

"Hahli!" Jaller cried.

Hahli swept past the harpoons; most of them missing her. But a harpoon hit her shoulder and stabbed her in the side, but she endured the pain. When she was only a few yards away, Hahli reached behind and pulled out a six barreled blaster. The blaster released a bullet of blue energy, but it wasn't aimed at the heartless. Instead, the bullet side the side walls, creating a rock slide. The heartless scattered, but because of the numbers, none of them could escape being crushed by the rocks. Hahli collapsed in pain, but Jaller caught her.

"That was a crazy stunt you pulled." Jaller chuckled as he set her down. Jaller's expression turned serious. "Don't do it again."

"We should get out of here before more show up." Storm advised.

"The best thing to do is to return to the terrain crawler and meet with the others." Jaller planned.

"Great. Now just one question. What a terrain crawler?" Sonic asked.

"We'll explain on the way. Come on." Jaller said.

Jaller turned towards the exit and the others followed. The crab stayed by Jaller's feet, occasionally pinching him in happiness. Hahli swam on ahead because her wings allowed her to glide and Angel followed because they didn't have wings to fly with, Jaller, Sonic, and Storm were forced to walk. Silver's symbols glowed white, which allowed him to levitate. Angel looked back and her friends. They were still in sight, but far enough her them not to hear. Angel dived next to Hahli and asked.

"Hahli...like...Jaller?"

Hahli's were opened wide at the creature and quickly replied. "N-no. What would make you think that?"

"Hahli lying. Angel can tell." Angel said sternly.

"All right." Hahli looked back to make sure the males couldn't hear. "I admit; I have taken a liking to Jaller. I always have since the Bohrok swarm attacked."

Why not tell Jaller?" Angel asked.

"We're toa now." Hahli said sadly. "We have more important things to deal with. We have no time to waste on such things."

Hahli swam on ahead of her. Angel could tell Hahli didn't really mean that. Deep down, she long for the feeling. Meanwhile, the males of the Sonic Team were being informed of the toa's mission by Jaller.

"We don't know how, but one day, the red star struck us with lightning and we became toa." Jaller told the story. "With our new powers, we defeated the Piraka and recovered the Mask of Life."

"So let me get this straight." Sonic said. "You need this Mask of Life thing to stop a great spirit called Mata Nui from dying or the whole world will die?"

"Being toa, I thought you would have already known that." Jaller said; his eyes wandered over them suspiciously.

"O-of course we knew. We were just testing you." Sonic said nervously.

Storm moved in closer to Silver and whispered to him. "Have you ever heard of this Mata Nui guy before?"

"Once from my old master." Silver said. "In the beginning, all worlds were created by beings known as the higher powers."

* * *

The scene changes to a stone mural. In the mural, seven figures gathered around a glowing golden heart. The first was a white qilin beast with a golden cross wheel around its waist. The second was biomechanical being wearing a golden mask. The third was a large purple dragon with gold wings. The fourth was a large golden dragon with four red eyes and six red orbs. The fifth was a tan monster with Egyptian style. The sixth was a normal human with spiky auburn hair and grey eyes with six circles in them. The last was hidden in the shadows, but could be seen with three eyes.

"_The higher powers were the most powerful beings in all worlds." _Silver narrated. _"Together, they created balance in the universe by creating the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Hearts. To keep it safe, they created a key that could only open the gateway: The Master Emerald. Mata Nui was one of them."_

"So what happened?" Storm asked.

The mural changed. The seven were now divided into two groups: good and evil. The qilin, the golden dragon, the Egyptian monster, and Mata Nui faced against the human, the purple dragon, and the hidden creature.

"_While four of the higher powers lived harmoniously, the others were corrupted by power."_ Silver continued his narration. _"They attempted to use Kingdom Hearts for their own needs, but the four stopped them. As punishment, the four were forced to return to their worlds as mortals. But before returning, they swore revenge against the ones who banished them."_

* * *

The scene returned to Mahri Nui.

"Do you think it's because of them that Mata Nui is dying?" Storm asked.

"I'm not sure. It could be some one else." Silver hypothesized. "But whoever it is, they obviously have something to do with these heartless."

"Hey!" Sonic and the other called from a distance. "If you don't move, we're leaving you!"

"Wait for us!" Silver and Storm screamed.

When the two arrived, Jaller and Hahli led the two to a hidden ravine. Lying hidden amongst the rocks was a long black machined with steel claws and appeared to have a mask of its own for some reason. Jaller and Hahli landed safely near the machine. But when the Sonic Team came up to it, the thing suddenly came to life and swiped its claws at the group.

"Mommy!" Sonic screamed and jumped into Storm's arms.

"Calm down." Hahli soothed and patted the side of the creature. "Remain calm. They're our friends."

With Hahli's reassuring words, the crawler slowly calmed itself. Realizing the position he was in, Sonic slowly got out of Storm's arms and brushed himself off.

"That never happened." Sonic told him.

"Got it." Storm saluted.

Just as it calmed, the crawler started acting up again. The crawler flailed its arms and head savagely in a panic. One of its claws hit Hahli to the wall, knocking her out. Jaller pulled out his sword to fight the beast when the crawler started to dig below. The crawler disappeared, leaving a large hole in its place.

"That's never a good sign." Silver muttered.

The World shook below their feet. A stomping sound could be heard coming closer and closer to them. The entrance to the ravine burst wide open and a ferocious new monster jumped down to them. A massive beast with enlarged teeth and three steel claws on each hand.

"What is that?" Silver questioned.

"It's Gadunka." Jaller informed. "It's a creature that was empowered by the Mask of Life."

"What does it eat?" Storm asked.

"I'm gonna take a wild and say...us." Sonic said.

The Gadunka beast thrust his claw forward, but the heroes narrowly avoided it. The aftershock of the attack flung the heroes to the corners of the ravine. Sonic rubbed his aching uh...mask and sat straight up. Unfortunately, Gadunka was hanging over him and swung his claw down. Silver tired to protect Sonic with a barrier, but the might beast shattered it like glass. Sonic quickly dived out of the way when the beasts claw came crashing down. Gadunka attempted to swallow Sonic whole, but its jaws stopped only a few inches from him. Gadunka looked at his claw and found it stuck in the rock. Storm took this opportunity to attack.

"Take this!" Storm shouted. Storm brought his fists together and slammed them over the beasts head. "Gotcha!" Gadunka rolled its eyes. Gadunka released its claws and swatted Storm away. "What's that thing made of? Bricks?"

"Uh...Silver, any suggestions?" Sonic asked nervously.

"Why do I have to make up all the plan?!" Silver shouted.

"You're the smart one." Sonic stated like it was the most obvious answer in the universe.

"You guys are hopeless." Silver massaged his temple. The leading duo jumped away as Gadunka swung its claws again. "Hey, didn't you get a new summoning stone from Shahra?"

"Yeah." Sonic replied.

"Don't you think now would be a good time to use it?!" Silver yelled. Gadunka grabbed him. "And hurry!"

"Got it!" Sonic said. Sonic reached behind him and pulled out the summoning stone he received from Shahra. "Come on out, Zilla!"

Sonic tossed the stone in the air...er...water and it erupted in a burst of light. The essence of Silver and Storm were sucked into the stone. Just in time, too. Because Silver was about to be digested. The duo disappeared and was replaced by...Midna?"

"Oh no! I picked the wrong stone!" Sonic screamed.

"Hey, handsome." Midna flirted and nudged against Sonic. "You know, you still look cute in that form."

"Go back! Go back! Go back!" Sonic begged to the stone, but noting happened. Sonic was literally in tears. "Why me?"

"So do you want to go somewhere?" Midna tempted. "I know this cute place in the Kokiri Forest."

Gadunka grabbed the blue hero with its claw and Sonic said. "Kind of busy!" Gadunka waved Sonic over its mouth, threatening to eat him alive. "Please do me a favor and make it quick."

"Nobody touches my man!" Midna screamed. "I'll kill you!

Gadunka stared at the tiny and even started to laugh. But it wouldn't be laughing long. Even without the Fused Shadows, Midna still had some of her old strength. A dark, shady hand formed from the top of Midna's head and struck Gadunka to the ground. The impact forced Gadunka to release Sonic and sent him flying. Lucky enough, Midna used the shadow hand to catch Sonic in midair. But for Sonic, that was not so lucky. Midna used the hand to keep Sonic in place while she cuddled him.

"Now how about that date." Midna said with a sly smile. But time was up and Midna disappeared.

"Save by the stone." Sonic said in relief. The next moment, Sonic found himself cuddling Silver and Storm. "Ok, this is awkward."

The trio separated, shuddering for a moment. Meanwhile, Angel and Jaller were with Hahli as she began to stir.

"Jaller? What happened?" Hahli asked weakly.

Even I'm not sure." Jaller chuckled as he helped her up. "But the good new is, it's all over now."

"Keetaga!" Angel screamed in her own language.

"What now?" Jaller groaned.

The males of the Sonic Team rejoined with the others. It wasn't over yet. Gadunka rose to its scaled feet for a second round. Suddenly, Gadunka was frozen in a brick of solid ice. The Sonic Team was confused, but their toa friends seemed relieved. Then, a new toa dropped down. The toa was white with a insect-looking mask and a pair of twin cutters in his left hand. In his right hand, he could be seen holding a golden mask.

"Matoro, excellent timing as usual." Jaller greeted.

"You should be more careful." Matoro said seriously. "As leader, you should learn how to handle such a situation."

"How was I supposed to expect an attack from Gadunka?!" Jaller snapped. "You can't just waltz in here and tell off your leader."

"Well 'leader', while you were playing around, I was busy recovering this." Matoro said; holding out the golden mask.

"The Mask of Life!" Hahli gasped. "Where did you find it?"

"Unlike Mr. Leader, I recovered this from the Airweed Fields." Matoro said coolly. "But its power has not recovered. We need the Staff of Artakha for that." Jaller tightened his fist as Matoro turned away. "I think it would be a wise decision if we retrieved the crawler."

"Whatever." Jaller scoffed, but followed him down the tunnel.

"Who's the guy with the attitude?" Sonic asked with a disapproving look.

"That's Matoro. Don't take it too personally. He takes his duty very seriously." Hahli said lightly. "Now all we need is the Staff of Artakha and our mission will be complete."

"What's that?" Storm said puzzled.

"It's...uh, well..." Hahli scratched her mask. She had no idea how to explain it. "Maybe it would be best if I showed you."

* * *

Meanwhile, in the dark parts of the world. A lone structure stood hidden underneath the rocky surface of the ground. The only way inside was by the small crack hidden in the roof of the structure. The structure itself was a large prison for the most dangerous criminals known The Pit. In the center of The Pit, Maxilos was petting his energy hound while watching the heroes through the view of Doom's Eye.

"The Keyblade Master has arrived on my world." Maxilos said in a sinister manner. "And with the toa, they may prove to be a nuisance." Maxilos energy hound bark ravenously at the image of the heroes. Maxilos scratched its chin to calm it. "No need to worry, my pet. Even so, I still have the heartless on my side. I shall succeed where Zant and Ganondorf failed. But for now, I'll let the Barraki have their fun."

Maxilos laughed in an evil manner as six pairs of red eyes shined in the darkness.

* * *

**Please, read and review**


	21. Behind the Mask, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty: Behind the Mask, Part 2

It had seemed like years had gone by since the heroes had arrived on Mahri Nui, even though it's only been a couple of hours. As Hahli led them out into open water, she explained the seemingly endless struggle the toa have faced. She explained the Bohrak invasion, the search for the legendary toa of light, which turned out to be Jaller's best friend, Takua, and the final battle against a shadow being they called 'The Makuta'.

"Sounds like a heartless if I ever heard one." Sonic whispered to Silver; making sure Hahli didn't hear.

"It's hard to tell." Silver whispered in equal silence. "But from what Hahli's been telling us, this Makuta guy has existed long before the heartless."

"So what happened to the Makuta?" Storm asked as he walked beside Hahli. "He's dead now, right?"

"We all thought he was dead the first time." Hahli said. "When the previous toa defeated him, we though it was over. But we were proven wrong when the Makuta released the Bohrak."

"Where toa now?" Angel floated alongside the water toa.

"They said they went back to protect the matoran on Metru Nui." Hahli explained. "But there was something in Tahu's voice when he spoke. I think he was lying."

"Why would he lie?" Storm asked.

"I don't know." Hahli admitted. Hahli looked forward. "We're here."

The Sonic Team was greeted with the sight of a small open temple-like structure. Inside stood a statue that stood to Jaller's height holding a glowing crystal. The structure itself was no bigger then Sonic's home on Destiny Island.

"Whoa...this is...something." Sonic said unimpressed.

"That's because you're not looking in the right place." Hahli stated.

Sonic gave her an inquisitive look. Storm lightly tapped on his blue friends shoulder lightly to catch his attention. When Sonic looked back, Storm turned his attention to the ceiling. A miraculous mural was imprinted within every corner and crevice on top of it. The mural mostly depicted a struggle between two beings struggling for what looked to be the Mask of Life. One was a misshapen mix-and-match warrior holding flaming chains. The other was impossible to see because it was smudged, but it could be seen holding double-bladed staff. Thousands of rune symbols surrounded the mural.

"_Strange. I've never seen such symbols before."_ Silver thought.

"That's cools!" Storm shouted suddenly; causing Sonic to jump. "Hey, Silver, what do those weird things say?"

"I...don't really understand." Silver said sheepishly.

"I do." Hahli said. All eyes were drawn on her. "They tell a legend about creation and destruction."

"Creation and destruction?" Angel repeated.

"Yes. Long ago, before Mata Nui came into existence, the Great Beings created two brothers, Artakha and Karzahni." Hahli pointed to the separate beings. "Artakha was given the duty of creation while Karzahni was in charge of destruction. But when the Great Beings created the Mask of Life, Karzahni was overcome by greed and sought the masks power."

"No surprise there." Sonic muttered. Silver jabbed him in the side.

"Artakha knew this and confronted his brother." Hahli continued; not noticing the commotion. "But Karzahni's powers were too great for him and the world was on the brink of destruction. In a final effort, Artakha used his most powerful weapon: his staff. The staff over powered Karzahni and restored most of Karzahni's destruction."

"Most?" Sonic questioned.

Hahli floated out of the shrine and pointed to the sky. "His powers only were not enough to restore that."

The four heroes walked/floated to the point where Hahli was and looked up. To their surprise, this wasn't the only world around. As the looked out to space, they realized Mahri Nui was only a part of the actual world. Close by were several islands that seemed to hold different locations and inhabitants that differed from the one they were on. The heroes stared into space in a daze.

"Toochaba." Angel said in amazement.

"This is simply amazing." Storm said; equally amazed.

All this was caused by Karzahni?" Silver asked.

"The Makuta did help either." Hahli said venomously. "That's why we need to find the Staff of Artakha. To restore the world to is proper place." Hahli turned to the heroes. "You must think I'm crazy to try and find it."

"No, never!" Sonic stated. "I would do the same thing if it was my world."

"_Your_ world?" Hahli questioned suspiciously.

"He meant _our_ world." Silver chuckled nervously. Storm slapped his huge hands over Sonic's mouth. "Of course that's what he meant." Silver whispered to Sonic. "Think before you speak next time."

"Hahli." Angel said as she glided up to her friend. "Dream important. Never give up."

"You really think it will all work out?" Hahli asked.

"They do and so do I."

They group looked down the slope to find Jaller, who had been following them.

"Jaller, what are you doing here?" Hahli asked. "I thought you were helping Matoro retrieve the crawler."

"Let's just say, I left him in a sticky situation." Jaller chuckled. Hahli laughed along with hi, but also gave an admiring look, which Jaller failed to notice. "So what are you all doing here?"

Hahli wanted to show us this really cool painting." Storm informed.

"Really?" Jaller said. Jaller walked under the shrine and saw the mural for himself. "Wow, I never noticed that. Look's pretty interesting."

"Hey, Sonic, can you come here for a moment." Silver requested.

"Sure." Sonic responded. The two mask hedgehogs walked a little away from the others so they could not hear. "What is it?"

"I just had a thought." Silver explained. "If we find the Staff, it might lead us to the keyhole."

"I was just thinking the same thing." Sonic said with a pondering look. "But where do we find the thing."

"Matoro said he found the mask in a place called the Field of Airweeds." Silver remembered. "If the mask was there, then maybe the staff is hidden somewhere with it."

"Whatcha talking about?"

Silver and Sonic jumped back when Storm, Angel, and the toa's appeared next to them.

"Uh, nothing?" Sonic grinned shakily.

"We were just thinking." Silver said. "If Matoro said he found the Mask of Life in the Field of Airweeds, then maybe the Staff of Artakha might be in the same place."

"Well, it's not like Matoro to miss something like that." Jaller muttered. "But it is something to look forward to."

"Then we shall move to the Field of Airweeds." Hahli said. Hahli turned and glided through the water. "I'll lead the way since I know the terrain better then anyone."

"Let that live forever." Jaller groaned."

Hahli swam up ahead followed by Angel and then the males, who did not share the benefits of having wings. But unknown to them, six dark figures were hiding in the shadows, watching the toa. One of them slithered a tentacle around the statues arm and snapped it like a twig.

"I don't see why we can't kill them now." One soft hissing voice said.

"No, the master said to wait." A more gruff voice said.

"Do you question the master's intentions?" A new voice said.

"N-no." The one said in a meek voice.

"Duh...what now." Another more unintelligent voice said.

"Now...we wait." A new voice said; crushing the statues arm.

* * *

The toa led the new visitors nearly all the way across Mahri Nui when they stopped atop a hill side above a crop field. It was obvious why the field was given its name. The entire field was filled with seaweed that seemed to hold air bubbles inside it. There were also miniature versions of the toa harvesting the airweed. If they had to guess, they would say that they were the matoran that the Toa keep talking about.

"What are they doing?" Storm asked.

"They're harvesting Airweed crops." Jaller answered.

"Why?" Angel asked.

"The Matoran were not as gifted as we were." Hahli explained. "The matoran constantly rely on the airweed to breath or they would die."

"Harsh." Sonic said.

"Very. Now, let's find that staff." Jaller said; quickly changing the subject.

The six quickly scattered around the air fields. Storm asked one of the matoran if he had seen anything, only to be scared away by Storm's large mass. Silver was fleetingly passing through when he found Sonic completely tangled up in the weeds. To this day, no one has figured out how. Angel gracefully glided through the airweeds until she came across a scorpion-like creature called a Hydruka. The two stared at each other for a moment and then the Hydruka had hearts in his eyes.

"Find anything?" Jaller asked the group when they rejoined later.

"I was unsuccessful." Hahli said sadly.

"Same here." Storm said; rubbing the bump he received when a matoran whacked him.

"Nothing." Silver said through the cocoon of weeds.

"Naga." Angel answered while repelling the Hydruka.

"That's too bad. I thought we were close." Jaller said. The red toa quickly noticed that someone was missing and did a headcount. "Hey, where's Sonic."

The hedgehog in question was still wandering through the fields. Since the weeds reached above his height and he couldn't fly, he was doomed to wander forever. Lucky for him, he tripped on something and smacked his face in the ground. Now normally that isn't good, but this is different.

"What the f..." Sonic was sorely tempted to finish the sentence. He looked down to the ground and found something glittering out of it. Sonic wiped away the dirt and found a crystal mask shaped like the Mask of Life. "Awesome! Hey guys, look what I found."

But all of a sudden, a squid creature bit his wrist a forced him to drop the mask. He ripped the squid away and tossed it aside when the others showed up.

"What happened?" Hahli asked.

"Something attacked me." Sonic winced in pain.

"Who?" Jaller asked.

"That would be us."

The six heroes turned their attention towards one of the higher cliffs where the voice came from. They quickly discovered six multicolored mutates; all transformed into different creatures. The red was a squid, the blue was an insect, the brown looked like a crab, the black look like a manta ray, the green look like an eel, and the white looked like a bloody shark. But the one thing they had in common was that they all had the same bloodthirsty look in their eyes.

"Long time no see...uh." Carapar said stupidly.

"Toa, Carapar, toa." Takadox groaned.

"Who are they?" Storm asked.

"The Barraki. Nasty creatures, they are." Jaller said.

"Who are you calling nasty!" Ehlek exclaimed.

"Calm yourself or your kill yourself." Kalmah stated.

"What do you want?" Hahli questioned.

"It is not what we want. It is what our master wants." Pridak said. "And what he wants is that mask."

"You weren't supposed to say that!" Mantax hissed.

"Master? So the great warlords are taking orders from someone else." Jaller sniggered. "In any case, if your master wants it, then we can't let him have it."

"We'll see about that." Pridak said. "Barraki! Attack!"

"Toa! Charge!" Jaller roared.

Both sides jumped at one another and the battle commenced. Both the leaders, Jaller and Pridak, clashed at one another with their ideal weapons. Jaller swung his Power Sword up and across, but Pridak was quick to counter with his Shark Tooth Blade. Pridak looked as if he had had the advantage because he had two blades. But he didn't take into account of Jaller's skills.

"Not-bad." Pridak said; their blades clashed again.

"Same-to-you." Jaller grunted when their blades hit.

"But-this-is-only-getting-started." Pridak groaned.

Meanwhile, Hahli swerved around the water above Kalmah in order to avoid his whipping tentacle. But Kalmah caught her when his tentacle wrapped around her ankle.

"Gotcha now." Kalmah chuckled fiendishly as he pulled her in. "Now come. My squid would love to have you for dinner."

"Not happening." Hahli stated.

Hahli raised her steel talons and sliced the tentacle to shreds.

"Damn you!" Kalmah cursed loudly.

While Kalmah tended to his wound, Silver was running backwards in an attempt to avoid Takadox's Twin Knives. He ran until his back was at a wall. Looking up, Takadox swung his Knife down, just as Silver slid under his legs to avoid him. As Takadox removed his Knife from the rock, he couldn't help but feel respect for the hedgehog.

"I can tell just by looking at you that we are equal in intelligence." Takadox hissed.

"Maybe, maybe not." Silver said.

"Let's find out, shall we?" Takadox murmured.

Takadox's eyes suddenly glowed red, soon joined by Silver's Silver grabbed his suddenly throbbing and fell to his knees. But despite the mental pain, Silver continued to grin.

"Legilimency, huh?" Silver grinned as he stood back up. "Good thing I learned Occlumency."

Silver closed his eyes and focused his mind into a single thought. Sure enough, Takadox's mental attack rebounded and drove him into a coma-like state. Meanwhile, Storm and Carapar were locked in a battle of pure strength. Storm was holding of one of Carapar's arms with while trying to prevent the large claw from crushing his skull.

"Man, he's strong." Storm mumbled with trying to push back the pincer.

"Get ready to say...uh." Carapar stopped to think for a moment.

Storm was open for attack now. Storm slapped away the claw and ducked down to roll under him. With an impressive show of strength, Storm lifted Carapar up off the ground and threw to him to land on top of Kalmah.

"Bye-bye." Storm sniggered.

But Angel was having trouble with her Barraki. While she tried to hide in the airweeds, Mantax just dropped from sight.

"Tooda?" Angel questioned.

"Too little, too late." Mantax voice sounded.

Suddenly, Mantax burst out of the ground and captured Angel in his pincers. As Mantax began to squeeze the life out of her, Angel's head tentacles came to the rescue. One tentacle wrapped itself around Mantax pincer while the other wrapped around his neck. Surprisingly, her tentacles were ten times stronger then herself and constricted Mantax until he fainted from lack of breath.

"Tootaba!" Angel boasted; stroking her tentacles lovingly.

That only leaves Sonic and the slippery Ehlek. While Sonic summoned his Shadow Blade, he never had a chance to hit. Ehlek moved around the water like Sonic did with his standard Keyblade. Ehlek swiped at Sonic's side with his Tri-Talons, but Sonic was lucky enough to jump away with only three scratches where Ehlek attempted to strike.

"Man, how am I supposed to follow something I can't follow?" Sonic asked himself; clutching his side.

"That's the point. You can't!" Ehlek cackled. But Ehlek's laughter stopped suddenly when his static gaze fell upon the Keyblade that Sonic held. His hissed at it, saying. _"The Keyblade"_

"_He knows about the Keyblade?" _Sonic thought.

"It's been fifteen years since I've seen that cursed instrument!" Ehlek hissed venomously. "I can still remember when Zoan turned that wretched thing on me."

"You know Zoan?!" Sonic yelled in surprise; jumping to his feet. "Tell me, who is he?!"

"You remind me so much about him." Ehlek said with a trace of bitterness in his voice. "And for that, I'll kill you extra slow and extra painful." He licked his Tri-Talons fervently to show a hint of his sadistic nature.

Ehlek zoomed from his spot and loomed over Sonic in 2.3 seconds. He raised his Tri-Talons and swung them down in a rapid pace. On instinct, Sonic raised his Shadow Blade, which miraculously blocked Ehlek's attack. But this only drove Ehlek to go farther. The furious eel monster pushed roughly down on his talons to push Sonic's own weapon back. Sonic could feel the cold steel of his blade pressing down on his neck.

"Time to die, chosen one." Ehlek said mockingly.

Not...yet." Sonic groaned.

The keychain on his Shadow Blade glowed and Sonic fell back into his shadow. Ehlek remained glued to the spot, staring compellingly at the point where Sonic vanished. Too dazed to move, Ehlek paid no attention when Sonic reappeared behind him and swatted at the back of his head. The blow itself knocked Ehlek out cold.

"Dang, I hit him too hard." Sonic cursed his luck. "I wanted to ask him about Zoan."

Back with Jaller, him and Pridak seemed to be at a stalemate when Jaller kicked the shark beast back.

"Take this!" Jaller yelled.

The red toa held out his Power Sword and dispersed a jet of fire from its tip. The flame caught Pridak of guard and could not defend himself when it pushed him to the wall. The Cliffside above crumbled on impact and toppled over Pridak to crush him. Jaller grabbed the crystal mask from the ground.

"Everyone ok?" Hahli asked as she landed next to her teammate.

"I'm fine." Silver replied.

"A-OK." Storm said.

"Okeetaka." Angel smiled.

"Good. Let's leave before they wake up." Jaller suggested.

They others were all too anxious to agree. They quickly ran out of the Field of Airweeds and made a brake for it back to the shrine. Sonic remained hesitant for a moment before reluctantly following. A few moments later, the Barraki awoke from their attacks.

"I feel like I've been hit by a Kikanalo." Kalmah said.

Pridak erupted from under the rubble and did not appear happy.

"Curse those toa!" Pridak growled. "We must hunt them down and kill them."

"Too bad you won't have that opportunity." A darker, drearier voice sounded.

The Barraki turned to the sound of the voice, which ended up being their last mistake. The next moment, they were all dragged into the shadows by the Screwdrivers.

* * *

The Sonic Team and toa arrived back at back at the shrine with the crystal mask. By some odd reason, Hahli seemed to see that the statue and the mask were destined to be joined. Just as she was ready to place them together, Matoro entered in; clearly infuriated.

"Jaller!" Matoro yelled. "What was with you leaving me to...?" Matoro's insect-like eyes wander to gaze at the sparkling mask held in Hahli's hands. "What are you doing with that?"

"Hahli was going to put it on the statue." Storm informed.

"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Matoro exclaimed.

The white toa drew his Twin Cutters and charged at Hahli

"Matoro! NO!" Jaller screamed

But it was too late. Matoro cut clean across the masks texture and shattered it to pieces across the sandy floor.

"Matoro...how could you." Hahli wept slightly and swam off.

"Hahli!" Jaller called out to her, but it was in vein. He sharply turned to his so-called ally. "Ok, that was crossing the line! What gave you the idea to do something like that?"

But Matoro ignored him and glared at the heroes. "Toa, or should I say, chosen one, I have allowed you to remain on our world long enough."

"Remained here? What do you mean?" Jaller asked.

"I mean, they're not from this world." Matoro said; Jaller was caught by surprise.

"How did you know?" Storm asked.

"Being the keeper of the mask, it has given me insight of information beyond my wildest dreams." Matoro answered. "As the Key Bearer, you have a duty not to meddle with the affairs of other worlds."

"He knows that already." Silver defended.

"Yet you continue to interfere." Matoro said indifferently. "As I thought. The Keyblade Master does nothing but shatter peace and brings destruction wherever he goes."

"Sonic's not like that!" Storm exclaimed.

"Funny, that's what Zoan said." Matoro said.

"You knew Zoan?" Sonic asked.

"Not personally, but the mask does." Matoro stated. "Zoan was a destroyer. He used the Keyblade to wreak havoc amongst the worlds and he is the reason the heartless are allowed to exist."

"You're wrong!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Believe what you like, but we have no room for you or your key."

And with that, Matoro departed from the sight. Sonic looked down to gaze at the weapon that had been praised as a savior. Could this weapon really be a cause for the heartless existence? Could Zoan, the unknown hero he looked up to, really be nothing more then a tyrant? There were so many questions. Even Mata Nui couldn't answer them.

* * *

After the earlier spat with her allies, Hahli had secluded herself to her hidden sanctuary at the stone cord. She had known that Matoro could be arrogant at times, especially when it came to the Mask of Life, but never before had she seen him act out so hostile before. He heart swelled up with anger and contempt for the white toa. After all she'd been through; facing the shadowed invaders, combating Gadunka, and defeating the Barraki, it all still meant nothing to Matoro. She felt so fueled that she could just...just...

"Kill him?" A voice finished her thought.

She turned to where the voice had come from, but was toppled on her back by a massive energy hound. The hound sniffed around her mask and barred his teeth as if it were ready to attack. Lucky for her, its master called it away.

"You'll have to excuse Spinax." The voice said. "He's just...excited."

The voice stepped out from behind the shadows to reveal Maxilos to be the owner of it.

"Who are you?" Hahli asked suspiciously.

"I am Maxilos, a friend."

"Why should I believe you?" Hahli questioned.

"Don't be so cold. After all, I am the only one who can help with your predicament." Maxilos said; loftily walking past her.

"How?" Hahli asked.

"You wish to restore your world to its former glory. I can help you do that." Maxilos tempted. But just by looking at her, he knew she still didn't trust him. "And if you still don't believe me, gaze upon this."

Maxilos reached over his shoulder and held out a familiar looking double-bladed staff: The Staff of Artakha. Maxilos was amused by Hahli's stare of wonderment. Hahli was hesitant to reply, but nonetheless answered.

"What do I have to do?"

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	22. Behind the Mask, Part 3

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

**Because of lack of readers, this story is on the verge of being discontinued again. If you have any suggestions on how to make it better, please inform me.**

Chapter Twenty-One: Behind the Mask, Part 3

Sonic and his crew were trudging down the underwater dirt path in search for Hahli after the incident Matoro created moments ago. Jaller took it upon himself to assist them in their search. He says 'because a leader must always there for their allies', but Angel thought differently. However, they hit a roadblock of Screwdriver heartless and a new heartless called an Aquatank.

"Do they ever take a break?" Sonic groaned; summoning his Keyblade.

The heartless charged forward for the attack. Sonic cut most of the heartless in half; his abilities in the water were improving. The symbols on Silver's arms glowed yellow and Silver summoned a bolt of lightning from his wrist. Storm fell back on his strength and simply snapped their necks. Angel used her tentacles to strangle the heartless into submission. Jaller was left to deal with the bloated fish and used his Power Sword to shoot a column of fire. But the fire barely even made a tickle in the monsters skin. As the Aquatank charged down at Jaller, his reliable crab came out of nowhere and stabbed it with its claws.

"Good boy." Jaller said, patting the crab on the head, who was clicking its teeth.

"Is it just me or are there more heartless then ever?" Storm asked.

"It's not just you." Silver said. "The further we walk along this path, the more heartless that show up."

"Whatever's down there, someone doesn't want us to find it." Sonic stated.

"But there's nothing down this path except the Terrain Crawler and..." Jaller stopped in mid-sentence. His piercing yellows eyes seem shot open in fright as muttered the last few words. "...The Mask of Life."

"Whoever is sending these heartless must be after the Mask of Life." Storm realized.

"And we can't let them get it." Jaller said as he broke into a run. "Come on!"

They ran as fast as they could to keep up with Jaller. Storm was a few feet behind him with Angel gliding by his side. But Sonic hung back for a while to stay in pace with Silver.

"Do you think it might be someone like Broly or Ganondorf behind this?" Sonic asked in a whisper.

"It's a possibility." Silver acknowledged. "But with everything that's going on, we may never know for sure."

"Do you think that Black Doom guy we saw is controlling them?" Sonic asked.

Silver did not reply. For once, Silver had no idea what was going on. Meanwhile, Hahli was glided back down to the ground near the Terrain Crawler. She could tell instinctively that Matoro was inside, guarding the Mask of Life. She looked back at Maxilos, who was hiding behind the rocks.

"Are you sure about this?" Hahli asked uncertainly.

"Trust me." Maxilos said amusingly. "Only when the staff and the mask are together can our world truly be reformed." Maxilos patted Spinax gently, giving him a false caring presence. "Unless you don't wish to bring our world together again."

"No! All right, I'll do it." Hahli sighed. She turned back to the Crawler and called out. "Matoro! I need you!"

A second later, the Crawler opened up to the side and Matoro walked out, holding the Mask of Life to his side.

"What is it, Hahli?" Matoro asked coldly. "If it's about that crystal, I don't regret what I have done."

"No, this has nothing to do with the crystal." Hahli said. "Listen, I think I know how to restore our world."

"How do you know how to restore the world when the Mask hasn't even given me the answer?" Matoro question suspiciously.

"There's no time for that." Hahli said hastily; eyeing Maxilos' impatient form. "Please, just give me the Mask of Life."

"Give me one good reason why I should." Matoro threatened with his Twin Cutters.

"I can give you two."

Matoro shot around sharply to gaze upon the gigantic Maxilos. Hahli looked back to the rock he once stood near. Despite his incredible size, Maxilos soundlessly snuck past the two toa without them realizing it. Matoro was entranced not by Maxilos, but by his glaring, red eyes hidden behind the mask. At the same time, the Mask of Life glowed slightly, furthering Matoro's horrified expression.

"Teridax." Matoro whispered.

"So you know." Maxilos said. "Too bad you won't live to tell about it."

When Matoro had come to his senses, he raised his cutter to Maxilos, but Spinax bit down fiercely on his arm. Matoro tried to shake free while Hahli remained petrified. Matoro continued to struggle until Maxilos slammed the Staff of Artakha's hilt to his neck. Matoro collapsed, causing him to drop the Mask of Life. Hahli snapped out of her trance as Maxilos picked up the mask.

"Maxilos, what have you done!" Hahli cried.

"Isn't it obvious, my dear?" Maxilos said darkly. "Now with the Mask of Life and the Staff of Artakha, I shall have what is rightfully mine!"

"But you promised!" Hahli said.

"Promises do not matter in times of war." Maxilos said. Spinax growled as he nudged his master's leg. "Just as I thought. The keyhole is not here."

"The keyhole?" Hahli questioned.

"The reason the Keyblade Master is here in the first place." Maxilos explained. "He is not a toa; he is not even of this world. Sonic has only come here to seek out the keyhole, not to help your world. He has deceived you."

"You're one to talk about deception!"

Maxilos whirled back and lifted his staff just in time to block Jaller's Power Sword. Spinax was ready to attack, but Jaller's crab stepped up to block him off. Maxilos pushed Jaller back as Sonic and his friends arrived.

"I would love to stay, but Black Doom has given me specific orders." Maxilos said. "Come, Spinax!"

Spinax jumped to his master's side and both disappeared in a cloud of shadows.

"I knew it." Sonic said. "He is working for Black Doom."

"Matoro!" Jaller cried; kneeling to his friend's side.

"Jaller...he has the mask." Matoro whispered weakly.

"Save your breath." Jaller said. He turned his attention to Hahli. "What happened?"

"Maxilos tricked me." Hahli explained mournfully. "He promised he would restore our world, but all he really wanted was the mask."

"Just goes to show you." Matoro said. "Never trusted a Makuta."

"A what?!" The toa exclaimed.

"Before it was taken from me, the mask gave me information." Matoro explained. "I learned that Makuta is a title given to those of the Brotherhood of Makuta." Matoro weakly sat up. "The one that attacked us was Teridax, the same one who fell to Takanuva."

"I knew he wasn't one to give up." Jaller said.

"He said he was looking for something called the keyhole." Hahli said.

The Keyblade crew exchanged nervous glances before Sonic stepped up and said. "Then we don't have time. Do you know where he might be headed?"

"The Pit." Hahli said suddenly. "I heard him talk once about The Pit."

"Then that's where we'll go." Sonic said.

"But we don't even know where The Pit is." Storm stated.

"I can help you." Hahli suggested.

"No offense, Hahli." Silver said. "But I think you have done enough for one day. Besides, Matoro needs you now."

"Please, I can help!" Hahli begged.

"Hahli is the only that knows where The Pit is." Jaller informed. "Angel and I will stay to help Matoro. You three go with Hahli and defeat Teridax."

"I guess it's settled." Sonic shrugged. "Lead the way."

Hahli swam ahead with Sonic, Silver, and Storm, while Angel held back with Jaller to help Matoro back into the Crawler. Now if only getting there was as easy. Teridax had left a swarm of heartless of every shape and size possible to kill the heroes. Sonic used the keychain of his Shadow Blade to avoid being skewered by the Screwdriver's harpoons. Silver formed a barrier around him to block out all attacks and expanded it to crush the heartless into the walls. Storm could be amazingly agile when he needed to be. He twirled around to avoid the oncoming harpoons and slammed his fist into a nearby Aquatank. Hahli, being the most experienced, Glided past the heartless and chopped them with her talons. When it was over, Sonic found a page from Shahra's book. Finally, they reached a large crack in the ground.

"Is that it?" Storm asked.

"Yes, the entrance to The Pit." Hahli said. "Be careful, there might still be some Zyglaks."

"I don't even want to know." Sonic said.

The group squeezed through the crack, Storm getting stuck for a few minutes, and entered the forgotten prison. In the center, Teridax was holding the staff and the mask while Spinax sniffed around. It growled to its master in response.

"The keyhole is not here?" Teridax questioned. "Then where is it?"

"You won't live long enoughto find out."

Teridax turned to Sonic and his friends, all brandishing their tools for battle.

"You plan to defeat me?" Teridax cackled. "If the great toa of light couldn't defeat me, what makes you think you can?"

"Because we are not alone! We have unity!" Hahli exclaimed.

"Unity, duty, destiny." Teridax continued to laugh. "And it is with these virtues you think you can win?"

"There's only one way to find out." Sonic raised his blade.

"Yes, there is." Teridax said; grasping the Staff.

Storm and Silver jumped towards Teridax, but Spinax jumped ahead and pinned Silver to the floor. Storm changed in direction and made a move towards the energy hound. But Spinax picked up its back legs and kicked Storm like a mule.

"That hurts" Storm mumbled.

"At least you're not me!" Silver shouted.

Spinax moved its jaw closer around Silver's head and snapped it shut. Luckily, Spinax was pulled back just in time that its teeth missed him. The energy hound shivered in pain and looked back to see Storm grasping his tail tightly. Using his superior strength, Storm swung Spinax around in the air and hurled it towards the wall. Upon impact, the wall collapsed, crushing the energy hound.

"Yeah, who's the man?!" Storm cheered.

"I thought you were a bird." Silver said.

Suddenly, two red shadows appeared on the walls and grabbed them to pin them to the ground.

"So you have killed my servant." Teridax said; holding the staff dangerously close to Storm's neck. "You must pay retribution for that."

"Can't you just take a check?" Storm said nervously.

Teridax waved the staff over his head and...

"Teridax!"

Sonic jumped on top of Teridax and held a firm grasp on his mask, potentially blinding him.

"Remove yourself, you filth!" Teridax roared.

"Whatever you say." Sonic said deviously.

Sonic flipped over Teridax's head and landed behind his feet. At the same time, Hahli made a mad dive and headbutted the Makuta in the chest. Teridax fell back, tripping over Sonic, accidentally releasing the Mask of Life from his grasp. Hahli glided up to catch the mask as Teridax landed roughly on the ground.

"The bigger they are..." Sonic said.

"The harder they fall." Hahli continued.

Teridax groaned and tried to sit up, but Sonic already held his Keyblade to his neck.

"You times up, old timer." Sonic said. His expression became disappointed. "That was so lame; I can't believe I said that."

But while Sonic was distracted, Teridax disappeared into his own shadow. Realizing his was gone, Sonic searched the room for any sign of him. He heard a loud thud from behind and turned before being hit in the side of the head by Teridax's staff. Sonic shot across the room and Teridax turned his attention to Hahli and the mask.

"When will you realize that no matter how hard you try to defeat me, you can never win?" Teridax said venomously. "It would be wise to surrender now."

"Never!" Hahli refused. "As long as there is a single breath of life inside my body, I will never give in to you!"

"That can be properly mended." Teridax said wickedly.

Teridax drew the blades of the staff and jumped towards Hahli. He moved faster then expected. By the time Hahli realize he moved, he was already a foot away. Teridax swung down his staff and something miraculous happened. When Hahli was in danger, the Mask of Life shot a beam of light from its mouth and created a large gap in Teridax's chest. The sudden attack not only weakened Teridax, but it also released his shadows from Silver and Storm. Teridax fell weakly on the ground, twitching slightly. The mask floated out of Hahli's hands and turned to stare at her.

"What happened?" Sonic asked as he reappeared.

"The mask...it protected me." Hahli said in disbelief.

"Ugh..." Teridax groaned; raising himself up. "So...the mask has chosen its true protector." Teridax stumbled slightly, but held himself steady by gripping the staff. "No matter. I have what I need."

"What do you mean?" Silver asked.

"It's true that the Mask of Life is powerful enough to kill Mata Nui, but there are other ways." Teridax proclaimed. "Artakha had no idea what he had done when he created this staff."

"What are you talking about?" Hahli questioned.

"Do you ever wonder how Artakha overcame Karzahni using only this staff?" Teridax chuckled. "This staff does more then just restores all that is broken. The mask given me insight on how to release the staff's true power."

"True power?" Sonic repeated.

"If infused by light, the staff restores." Teridax explained. "But when infused by shadows, the staff can create the ultimate being of darkness."

"No!" Hahli cried with realization.

"Witness the raw, untamable, powers of the shadow!" Teridax shouted.

Teridax raised the staff to the air before slamming it to the ground. The shadows along the walls shifted from their original positions and swarmed around Teridax. The shadows rose above the ground to surround the dark master in a tornado of darkness. The world was quaking, walls were crumbling, and the ceiling was collapsing atop their heads. That was their cue to leave.

"Everybody out!" Hahli screamed; grabbing the mask

"No need to tell me twice!" Sonic shouted frantically.

Oh no! The entrance!" Storm cried.

At Storm's screams, the only way in and out of The Pit was blocked off.

"Now what do we do?" Silver asked.

"Wait! I got an idea!" Sonic proclaimed.

* * *

Outside The Pit, the ocean floor collapsed above where the former prison once stood, crushing everything within it. It had seemed to be the end of our heroes. Or was it? Though unnoticeable, a lone shadow stood apart from the others. Suddenly, a metal hand popped out from its confines. Slowly, the rest of the body emerged followed by three others. With his quick thinking, Sonic used the Shadow Blade's power to transport everyone to safety. 

"Ha! And he though he could outsmart me." Sonic sniggered cheerfully. "Who's laughing now, bucket head?!"

"That Teridax guy makes me look like a genius!" Storm started laughing. "I can't believe he crushed himself!"

For a quick moment, the Mask of Life flashed and Hahli said. "He didn't."

All of a sudden, a gargantuan, steel hand broke out from then ground of the former Pit. Its gigantic claws attempted to wrap themselves around the heroes, but the four of the scattered straight away. Upon failing to capture its intended target, the hand fell back into the ground. Sonic and his crew gathered around to stare down to hole, but stayed at a distance.

"What was that?" Silver asked Hahli.

"There's no doubt about it." Hahli murmured. "Teridax has used the Staff of Artakha to restore his old body."

"He was that big?" Storm said cowardly.

"Never." Hahli said. "He is more powerful then ever."

"Too right you are!" Teridax's voice echoed from the gap. "You fools will realize that I rule this world now!"

Sonic, Storm, and Silver ran backwards as the ocean floor began to give way. Hahli tucked the Mask of Life behind her wings before flying upwards. The claw reemerged from the depths, followed by the arm and then the rest of the body. Teridax had regained his true form. He was over forty feet tall with a black body covered in red armorwith poison green patches to give him an infected look. His mask was demonic with a diseased appearance. He smiled down to his small prey.

"This world and all others will bow before their new master!" Teridax screamed, raising his staff in triumph.

"You will never win!" Sonic protested. "Even if it is a weapon of destruction, as long as I have the Keyblade, the darkness will never win!"

Silver, Storm, and Hahli jumped to his side; the fires of determination burning in their eyes.

"The face your doom." Teridax voice boomed.

Teridax stabbed his staff to the ground, but the heroes were already gone. Because of his size, Teridax movements had slowed greatly. This gave Storm a perfect opportunity to run up Teridax's arm towards his mask.

"Take this!" Storm yelled.

Storm slammed his fist to the side of Teridax's mask. Teridax didn't even flinch, but his mask did crack slightly.

"You dare to touch me!" Teridax growled. Teridax reach up to grab Storm, but Hahli swooped in to save him. "Still running, toa?"

"A toa never runs in the face of battle." Hahli said; balancing Storm in her arm while aiming her blaster to his mask. A blue bullet shot from it and collided with Teridax's mask. "It's no use. Even my weapons can't harm him."

"You are just now realizing that?"

While know so, Teridax somehow appeared behind them and clutched the two in his claws. He slowly started to crush them until a lasso of fire constricted around his wrists; forcing him to release. He looked over to who conjured the lasso to find Silver; his symbols glowing red. Teridax merely chuckled. He forced his wrists apart to break free, causing Silver to fall back.

"Silver." Teridax said lowly. "Why trouble yourself with this burden?"

"I must." Silver said. "For the king."

"The king that has abandoned you?" Teridax questioned. "The one that forced you to watch over this rat? Why put yourself through such degrading tasks?You are destined for greater things, Silver."

"Greater things?" Silver repeated; a scent of doubt in his voice.

"This king has betrayed you, but I can help you." Teridax claimed; holding his enormous claw to him. "Join me and I will help you find your truedestiny."

What was Silver to do? He has always been loyal to the king. But...what if Teridax was right. What if this was not Silver's destiny? What if his loyalty has been misplaced?Could Teridax help him? Or would he betray him? Before Silver could even draw an answer, a horrid screeching sound came below. Teridax stared down as Sonic started running up his leg, dragging his Keyblade behind.

"He'll never join you!" Sonic cried; slashing across Teridax's mask. Filled with anger, Teridax swatted Sonic toward one of the white mountains. "This isn't working. I need more help." Sonic reached back to pull out the dark green stone. "Zilla! I need you!"

Sonic tossed the stone up and it erupted in a burst of light. Instead of taking Silver like they usually did, Storm and Hahli essence were sucked into the stone. A second later, Zilla appeared; licking Sonic's face. Teridax laughed.

"You think a pathetic runt can defeat me?"

Zilla growled and Sonic said. "He doesn't like to be called runt."

"It makes no difference." Teridax proclaimed. "In the end, you will still die."

"Don't be so sure. You'd be surprised at what we can do." Sonic said; jumping on to Zilla's spines. "Charge!"

Zilla, using his advanced swimming abilities, glided towards Teridax and curved when he swung his staff. Zilla swam in circles around Teridax, who was futilely trying to kill them. Sonic suddenly stuck out his Keyblade, which glowed blue, and formed a blue halo around Teridax body. The faster the duo spun around Teridax, the bigger the halo began until it changed into a giant underwater whirlpool.

"What is this?" Teridax question. He slashed at the whirlpool with his staff, only to have it reflected.

"Impossible." Silver said in disbelief. "Not even I can do that."

"Release me!" Teridax roared.

"Gladly." Sonic said.

Sonic swiftly jumped off of Zilla's back and cut the whirlpool down the middle. But along with it, Sonic sliced Teridax's mask in half, destroying it permanently. With his mask no longer able to sustain him, Teridax's dark soul was obliterated. Zilla disappeared and Hahli and Storm returned.

"What happened?" Storm asked.

"It's over!" Sonic cheered. "We won!"

Storm and Hahli joined in the celebration. Meanwhile, Silver remained rooted to his previous spot. He looked to the left to find the Staff of Artakha trapped in the ground with, what looked to be, a page from Mephiles' report. He sighed and went to recover them.

* * *

The heroes returned to the Terrain Crawler where Jaller and Angel were waiting with Matoro, who made a full recovery. Silver presented him with the Staff of Artakha and Hahli was ready to give up the Mask of Life until... 

"No, Hahli, it is not mine to watch anymore." Matoro refused. "I can understand why it would change guardians after I destroyed the crystal."

"By the way, why did you destroy it?" Storm asked.

"Because that crystal was the only way to reveal the keyhole." Matoro said.

"IT'S WHAT!" Everyone except Silver screamed.

"You mean we had the key to unlocking the keyhole and you destroyed it?!" Sonic screamed frantically. Matoro nodded. "I do not believe this. Of all the...ugh!"

"But if the crystal is destroyed, then the keyhole can never be found." Jaller stated.

"Don't worry, there is another way." Matoro said calmly. "The Mask of Life should be able to reveal the keyhole."

"But where is it?" Hahli asked.

"I thought you would have figured it out, Hahli." Matoro chuckled. "It's at the Shrine of Legends." He turned to Sonic. "Keyblade Master, do me one last favor: seal the keyhole and protect our world."

"Can do." Sonic said. "But before I go, I have a question."

"Yes?"

"What do you know about Zoan?" Sonic asked.

"I cannot reveal that." Matoro shook his head. "But I can tell you that he would be very proud of you."

Sonic accepted the compliment gratefully. The Sonic Team along with Hahli and Jaller returned to the shrine. Hahli placed the Mask of Life on the stones face, which shot out a beam that revealed the keyhole.

"Time to get to work." Sonic grinned.

Sonic held up his Keyblade to the keyhole and shot a beam of light from its tip. The keyhole locked and vanished forever.

"So that's it then?" Jaller asked; slightly sad. "It's time for you to save another world, right?"

"Yeah, about that." Sonic scratched his mask sheepishly. "Sorry for lying to you all this time."

"It's ok; we would have done the same thing." Hahli assured him. "You have a hold big responsibility. It must be tough."

"Don't worry. As long as I have my friends..." Sonic gathered Storm, Silver, and Angel into a group hug. "...It's all worthwhile."

"Once we learn how to use the staff's full powers, we can restore our world properly." Jaller informed him. "You can visit anytime. Just make sure to leave the trouble behind, will ya?"

"Can't make any promises." Sonic joked.

Everyone laughed except for Silver. Teridax's words were still echoing in his mind.

"_You are destined for greater things, Silver."_

* * *

The scene changes to the unknown white castle. Inside, two black coat beings were conversing. One was as tall as Maxilos, while the other barely reachedtoup to his partner's knees. Just then, Terro jumped into sight. He could easily be distinguished by the red fur on his hands and feet. 

"Hey, how ya doing?" Terro said excitedly.

"What do you want, Terro?" The taller one said in a cold, female voice.

"Whoa! Don't get testy." Terro said festively. "Just came to check on our newest member."

"As you can see, he is fine." The woman pointed to the smaller member before turning to him. "Leave us!"

The smaller member nodded and grasped the walls. Surprisingly, he started to climb up it.

"I don't think I'll ever get use to that." Terro said.

"What do you want?" The woman asked again.

"Nothing, really. I just heard that the Keyblade Master has visited your world." Terro said pleasingly. "Your former master was just killed by him."

"I have no time to worry over such frivolous things." The woman spat. "I must prepare myself for when we depart to our new headquarters."

The woman tried to walk away, but Terro spread his black wings to jump and cut her off.

"Was that a trace of sorrow in your voice?" Terro asked playfully. "Do you still have feelings from our old life?"

But the woman pushed Terro aside, saying. "None whatsoever."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	23. Sonic Team and the Magical World, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Two: Sonic Team and the Magical World, Part 1

After a round of cheery good-byes from the toa, Silver used his magic to transform the team back to their normal forms and onto their Gears, heading for the next world. But that was the only thing he did. With Teridax's words still buzzing in his mind, Silver remained distant from the others. Storm was genuinely worried, but Sonic didn't see why.

"Stop bugging." Sonic said lazily; kicking back on the Blue Star. "For once, he's not being a bossy know-it-all."

"I don't know." Storm said uncertainly. "Silver has never acted like this before."

"You say that like it's a bad thing." Sonic said.

"Choota!" Angel yelled in her native tongue. "Choo sasnii oot tama!"

Sonic stared at her with both eyebrows raised and said. "I have no idea what you just said."

Angel huffed and turned her back to him, nearly falling off Storm's shoulder. Over an hour had passed and Silver still made no contact with his team. Now Sonic was starting to worry. Sonic tried to get Silver talking by asking him to more magic, but Silver still didn't say anything. It was only fifteen minutes later when Silver said...

"We're here."

They had reached the next world. It was a small place; probably because the heartless devoured most of it. All that was really left was a vast castle with many towers and turrets perched atop a high mountain.

"Whoa!" Sonic said; his eyes wide with amazement. "What is that?"

"It is called Hogwarts, the magical world." Silver informed.

"You mean there are others down there that know magic?" Sonic questioned.

But Silver did not answer. Silver raised his hand and a light emitted from it; thrusting him and the groups into the new world.

**

* * *

**

--Hogwarts--

The castle referred to by Silver as Hogwarts was not as abnormal as the heroes would once consider. The windows glistened against the starry sky; the black lake below remained calm, through Sonic swore he saw something moving in it. and speaking of whom; Sonic nearly jumped out of his fur when he looked into his reflection in the lake. His shoes and gloves were gone and replaced with sharp claws, his teeth were sharp as knives, and his quills stretched down his back and turned razor sharp.

"That is definitely something I wouldn't want to wake up to in the morning." Sonic muttered.

"Hey, it's not that bad."

Sonic turned back and nearly jumped out of his fur again. Angel looked exactly like she did in Mahri Nui. Storm's arms were replaced by lengthy feathered wings, his body was surprisingly slim, and his beak was stretched to give a vulture appearance. Silver, like Sonic, also had claws, his forehead quills reach to the back of his head, and his mane bristled out like spikes.

"Don't do that." Sonic gasped; clutching his chest. "I nearly had a heart attack."

"Uh...Silver, I think you made a mistake when you transformed us." Storm said.

"I don't make mistakes." Silver stated; his voice unusually cold. "The inhabitants of this world have seen more frightful creatures then us."

"Deeka." Angel shivered.

"I don't like the sound of that either." Storm said; also shivering.

"Come on." Sonic said cheery. "It's not like the heartless are going to pop out of the ground and surround us." At that moment, several Ghost Heartless popped out of the ground and surrounded them. "Well I'll be darned."

Sonic whipped out his Keyblade to fight, but heartless didn't attack. Instead, they started...dancing? They twirled their arms in random directions, hitting one another occasionally.

"Ok...this is new." Sonic said.

"Since when do heartless dance?" Storm questioned. "Very badly I might add."

"Either they're lost their brains with their hearts..." Silver spoke. "...or they are confunded."

"What?" The others asked.

"No, no, the movements are all wrong." Said a new voice.

The heroes turned in the direction of the voice. Three humans, each at least fifteen, wearing black robes. The One on the left was the only girl and had brown bushy hair. The boy on the right was the tallest of the three with burning red hair and freckles along his face. The boy in the middle wearing glasses was rather skinny for his age, had unnaturally untidy hair, and a rather peculiar scar on his forehead shaped like a lightning bolt. They walked over to the heartless. The middle boy noticed Sonic and the others, but the other two were locked in a heated argument.

"I suppose that's my fault, Ron!" The girl snapped.

"You're the one who confunded them, Hermione!" Ron snapped back. "Guess you're not so brilliant after all."

"Take that back!" Hermione said; she pointed a sleek wand to his chest.

"Uh...guys." The scarred boy spoke; never taking his eyes off Sonic and the others.

"Hermione...let's not do anything stupid." Ron said; backing away from Hermione.

"Guy..." The boy tried again, but failed.

"I bet you would like that, wouldn't you, Ronald!" Hermione shouted.

"Guys!" The boy yelled this time, finally catching his friend's attention. "Do you know what these are?"

Ron and Hermione finally broke off, much to Ron's relief, when they finally took notice to Sonic's Team. But at the sight of them, Ron went back to trembling behind Hermione.

"What the bloody hell are those things?" Ron asked. "They better not be more of Hagrid's. I already had enough pain for one life time with those Blast-Ended Skrewts."

"Blast-Ended what?" Storm asked.

"Blimey!" Ron screamed. "They're talking! They shouldn't be doing that!"

"You were saying." Sonic whispered to Silver with a grin. Silver didn't look pleased.

"Calm down, Ron." Hermione said softly. "They don't look like they want to hurt us." Hermione turned back to the group. "Though I must admit, I never heard of a talking creature. Not even in _Fantastic beasts and where to find them._"

"Uh...we're from a place...very far away." Sonic made the lamest excuse.

"You mean like America?" Hermione said fascinated.

"Uh...yeah, let's go with that." Sonic said nervously.

"Fascinating." Hermione said. "Do you have names?"

"Yeah. The name's Sonic." Sonic introduced. "This is Silver, Storm, and Angel."

"They were thick naming her." Ron said, refering to Angel. Angel snapped at Ron's foot.

"Don't mind Ron. He's just acting like a prat." Hermione said. "I'm hermione Granger. You know Ron Weasley." She pointed to Ron before pointing to the scarred boy. "And this is Harry Potter. I bet you heard of him."

"Not really." Sonic said.

Ron and Hermione's eyes nearly buldged out when he said that. Harry looked stunned and pleased at the same time. Silver suddenly gripped Sonic's arm rather tightly and whispered into his ear.

"You idiot." Silver gritted through his teeth. "Harry Potter is famous. He's the one who defeated You-Know-Who."

"Who?" Sonic asked.

Silver, forgetting to lower his voice, shouted. "Voldemort!"

All of a sudden, a high-pitched girly scream filled the air. At first they thought instantly it was Hermione. But they sadly discovered it was actually Storm, hugging Angel like a teddy bear. Storm realized his position.

"Sorry, got caught up in the moment." Storm said embarrasingly.

"So..." Silver sparked conversation. "What are you doing with these heartless?"

"Oh, so that's what they're called." Hermione said interestingly.

"Halloween's coming up." Harry explained. "Dumbledore asked us to train them to dance so we could have them for the Halloween feast."

"Dumbledore is here?" Silver gapped.

"You know him?" Sonic asked.

"He was a student along side Shahra and I during our training." Silver explained.

"As you can see..." Hermione said, not hearing Silver. "The heartless just don't want to listen. We should inform professor Snape about this."

"Don't we see enough of that git during the day?" Ron complained.

"Unless you want to be the one to tell Dumbledore we can't do it." Hermione said sternly.

"Fine." Ron gave in.

The walked the stone path up to the castle door. During this time, Sonic asked.

"Are they always like that?"

"Nah, sometimes they fight." Harry joked.

The reached the large double oak doors of the castle and stepped inside. Castle looked much bigger inside then it did outside. The hall was lit by torches and the ceiling higher then they eye could see. Standing besides the large oak door were four hour glasses filled with four different types of jewels resting upon counters. Sonic was hoping to see the rest of the castle, but the three humans turned left down a flight of stairs.

"This is a cheerful place." Sonic said sarcastically.

The stair led miles under the castle; the atmosphere growing colder with each step. At one point, Sonic was sure he had left his frozen feet behind. Along the way, Sonic discovered nine dragon eggs and hide them before Harry or the others noticed.

"How could anyone live in a place like this?" Storm asked; shivering slightly.

"It's easy for a cold-hearted bat like Snape." Ron said.

"Ron!" Hermione snapped. "Don't talk about Prof. Snape like..."

"He's right Hermione." Harry interrupted. "Only a git like Snape could survive down here."

"A git, am I?" said a new voice.

The seven nearly jumped out of their skin/fur/feathers and the sudden intrusion of the voice. Acting slowly, they craned their heads over there shoulders. He was a tall and thin man with eerie black eyes and greasy shoulder-length black hair, adorning a flowing black robe, giving him the appearance of an overgrown bat. The man's, Snape's, eyes pierced into Harry's with a gaze of sheer loathing.

"P-professor Snape." Harry stuttered slightly. "We were just..."

"Mocking a school teacher behind his back." Snape cut in coldly. "Let's see, ten points from Gryffindor."

"Ten point!" Ron said outraged.

"Each." Snape continued; furthering Ron's anger. "Now what are you doing down in the dungeons at this time of night?"

"It's about the ghost." Harry said before Ron could snap. "They aren't working properly like they should."

"Even I could have told you that, Potter." Snape said. "Dumbledore was foolish to entrust you with any task. This way to my office."

Snape lead them farther down the dungeon; the walls turned venomous green and the air could only get colder. Sonic had a distinct feeling they were under the lake right about now. They entered through the door at the end of the hall into Snape's office. It was a room filled with shelves full of jars filled with animal's parts. On the table in the center lies a Ghost Heartless unmoving.

"Whoa! Pickled Newt Leg." Silver said; picking up a jar with a cluster of tiny legs. "Do you know how expensive these things are?"

"How do they taste?" Storm asked.

"These are highly qualified potion ingredients." Silver stated. "They are not for eating." Silver looked back at the jar, only to find it empty. Angel was sitting next to him with her mouth filled with tiny newt legs. "Again, I stand corrected."

Sonic walked around the table with heartless; poking it to make sure it was dead. But Snape brandished and created an invisible whip that snapped at Sonic's hand.

"Don't. Touch. Anything." Snape forewarned. Sonic nodded solemnly. "So...what appears to be the problem, Potter."

"We can't get them to dance properly." Harry informed. "Hermione even confunded them and they still don't work properly."

"So the insufferable know-it-all has finally failed." Snape said with a slight smirk. "Can't say I expected any better."

"She's done loads better then you did!" Ron snapped before he could stop himself.

"Ten points from Gryffindor." Snape said. "And know that I find no pleasure in helping you either. If not upon Dumbledore's request, I would never bother to."

"Please, sir." Hermione said formally. "These creatures over there." Hermione pointed to Sonic's group. "They call the ghost heartless. I thought; if they really are heartless, maybe we could try giving them hearts."

"I don't need your suggestions." Snape said. "And even if that were true, all the ingredients are locked in my private stores and Peeves has made off with my only key."

"Can't you use the _Alohomora _spell to unlock it?" Hermione asked.

"I would, but I cast a spell so that magic could not open it." Snape explained. "It was an extra precaution to make sure my ingredients would go missing like they did three years before."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione looked away, trying to act innocent. Meanwhile, Sonic pulled his team into a group huddle.

"Maybe I could you the Keyblade to unlock it for them." Sonic said.

"Bad idea." Silver stated. "We're not supposed meddle in the affairs of other worlds."

"We've already done that." Sonic said in a matter-of-factly tone. "Besides, if they succeed, maybe we won't have to fight the heartless anymore. And on the plus side, we could see them dance."

"I still think it's a bad idea." Silver said.

"Come on, Silver." Storm said cheerfully. "What's the worst that could happen? Right, Angel?"

"Ih." Angel nodded.

Sonic walked past Harry and the others to the closet on the side of the room. He whipped out his Keyblade, which surprised most of the group, and aimed it towards the lock. A split second later, the closet opened itself, revealing the contents within it, which included things that nearly made Sonic lose his lunch. But then noticed a piece of paper on the floor. It was a page from Shahra's book. He hid it before anyone else noticed. Snape stared interestingly at him.

"Who are you?" Snape questioned.

"I'm Sonic." Sonic answered.

"You must be the Key Bearer." Snape stated. "Dumbledore informed me of your arrival."

"Never misses a trick, that Dumbledore." Silver shook his head, smirking.

"Dumbledore requested that I would help you in any way possible."

"It would be nice if we figured out how to create a heart for the heartless." Sonic said awkwardly.

"That can be easily rendered." Snape as he walked into his privates stores. He came back later with a live human heart, a frog, a spider, and two snakes tied together. "The heart will act as the vessel. The frog represents pulse and emotion. The spider represents fear. And the snakes represent hope and despair."

"He's cheery, isn't he." Ron muttered sarcastically to Hermione, earning him a jab in the ribs.

With a flicker of his wand, Snape merged the attributes with the hearts and it slowly started to beat. Snape next tried to merge the heart with the heartless, but the ghost suddenly came to life and swatted it away before falling limp back on the table.

"It didn't work!" Harry said in surprise.

"Something is missing." Snape informed. Snape returned to his stores, only to come out a second later with an empty jar. "Someone has stolen the last forget-me-not, which supposedly represents memory."

"I swear, we didn't take it!" Harry said almost instantly.

"Of course not." Snape said disapprovingly. "It was that Weasley girl. I found her wondering outside my office before you arrived."

"I thought you said no one could get into your private stores without the key." Hermione said.

"I wouldn't put it past her." Snape said. "Now go find her before I begin deducting points."

Harry, Ron, and Hermione quickly pushed the group out, closing the door behind them.

"How are we going to find one person in a huge castle?" Storm asked.

"Already ahead of you." Harry said. He pulled out a blank parchment from his robe and tapped it with his wand, saying. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

At once, thin ink lines began to spread across the parchment from the tip of Harry's wand. At the top was a message.

_Messrs. Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs are proud to present._

**The Marauders Map.**

Inside was a map that showed every inch of the castle and grounds. Tiny ink dots wandered across the map, each labeled in miniscule writing. One was titled Albus Dumbledore in the higher parts of the castle. Another showed Severus Snape back in his office. But what Harry and his friends mostly focused on was the name Ginevra Weasley.

"She on the grounds nears the Forbidden Forest." Harry informed.

"Do we even need to ask?" Silver groaned.

"We better go, but Snape goes mental." Ron said.

Sonic's group followed their new friends out through the entrance doors out to the grounds. They found the Ghost Heartless lined up on the side of the path like statues. But when Sonic took his first step on the path, one of the heartless jumped out and swatted Sonic across the face. The others fell in line behind it trying to look intimidating.

"What's with them?" Sonic asked; rubbing the sore spot on his face.

"The experiment must have triggered a reaction." Hermione examined. "They've reverted back to their evil ways."

"Somehow, I just knew this was going to happen." Silver muttered.

"If we want to find the memory, we have to get past them." Harry said with his wand raised.

The heartless charged at them quickly. Ron and Hermione ducked out of the way while Harry, Angel, and Storm tumbled down the path. Silver quickly drew a barrier to protect himself, but Sonic was his with full force and thrown back into the entrance doors.

"Why didn't you help me?" Sonic asked Silver.

"You're supposed to be the Keyblade Master, not me." Silver said coldly.

Sonic growled. Before he could make any reply, the ghosts grabbed him by his ankle and threw him overhead down the path near Harry. Silver relinquished his barrier and commanded a barrage of chaos spears to wipe out a few ghosts. Storm, no longer able to use his muscles, fell back on flying and using his sharp talons to claw into the heartless' faces. Angel flew into the air with her six wings and strangled any near by heartless with her antenna. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were using random spells, most of Ron's missing the heartless by a few feet. Sonic got back to his feet, er...claws just as another swarm piled up on him. One snuck up from behind and knocked the Keyblade out of his hand, leaving him defenseless under the piles of ghosts.

"Got...to get...Keyblade." Sonic strained as he tried to reach out for his Keyblade.

Suddenly, he felt a strange sensation in the bottom of his stomach. Not knowing why, Sonic curled into a ball, causing his razor sharp quills to stick out. All of a sudden, he started spinning in place, slicing the heartless to pieces in the process. He then shot off into the air, bouncing off heartless in every direction.

"What was that?" Storm asked as Sonic uncurled.

"I don't know, but I like it." Sonic smiled. "I think I'll call it my Spin Dash."

"Are they gone yet?" piped a new voice.

Everyone turned to see a girl stepping out from behind the trees. She looked to be fourteen years old. She had the same vivid red hair as Ron and wore a black robe like the others too.

"Ginny, what are you doing here!" Ron snapped.

"I was trying to get away from those things." Ginny excused herself. "Those things are evil I know it."

"They won't be for long." Harry said. "All we really need is the forget-me-not you took."

"Oh, you mean this." Ginny said meekly as she held a pal-blue flower to him. Harry took it gratefully. "Harry, I have really bad feeling about this. We should get rid of these things while there's still time."

"Nonsense." Ron said. "Everything will be great."

"He's right." Harry said. "Once we give the heartless a heart, they'll do whatever we tell them." Harry was optimistic, but Ginny didn't look happy. "Trust me, Ginny. Everything will be fine."

"That's nice and all..." Silver interrupted. "But can we save for after we're in the clear."

Everyone turned to Silver with a confused expression. He simply pointed up. In the sky, a number of purple winged demons called Gargoyle Heartless swooped down on them. Everybody dived to the ground to avoid them. Silver tried to strike them with chaos spears , but they were moving to fast. Sonic tried to use his Spin Dash again, but didn't know how. It was up to Storm and Angel now. Angel and Storm fended pretty well for themselves, but the Gargoyles were too fast and the two dropped to the ground fast. The Gargoyles surrounded them in midair and dived to attack until Hermione whipped out her wand.

"_Immobulus!" _Hermione shouted.

A blue light flashed out of the tip of her wand and the Gargoyles were instantly frozen in midair. Silver took this opportunity to conjure another barrage of chaos spears to get rid of them.

"I've got to learn that trick." Sonic said.

"I'm impressed." Silver said to Hermione. "You must be the brightest witch of your age."

"Well, I wouldn't go that far." Hermione said smiling; her face as red as Ron's hair.

"Let's just get out of here before more of those things show up." Ron said; glaring at Silver for some odd reason.

They walked back to the castle; Ron standing between Silver and Hermione. Unknown to them, three boys were watching them from behind the trees. They wore black robes like Harry and his friends, but they didn't look as friendly. Two of them were large and bulking while the third was small. He had sleek, slivery blond hair and a menacing look in his eyes.

"So, Potter wants to give the heartless a heart, does he?" The boy known as Draco Malfoy said. "You know what this means, don't you." He turned to his aids, but they didn't seem to understand. Malfoy sighed. "It's obvious. We tell Lord Voldemort."

Meanwhile, Sonic, Harry, and the others arrived back at Snape's office. Snape wasn't pleased.

"Why am I not surprised." Snape said snidely. "Fifty points from Gryffindor for stealing from my private stores."

"She was only trying to..." But Ron was cut off.

"Don't tempt me, Weasley." Snape said. "You are lucky I do not give you detention or worse, expulsion." Ron looked down, still red in the face, and silenced obediently. "One more ingredient is necessary for the completion of this heart."

"What do we need, sir?" Hermione asked politely. Ron pretended to gag, but Snape saw.

"Five points, Weasley!" Snape snapped. "For your answer, girl, I will need an object that represents surprise."

"What could we get for surprise?" Storm asked.

"Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes!" Ron said suddenly.

"Gaba?" Angel questioned.

"Come again?" Silver said.

"It's a joke shop my brothers, Fred and George, were planning to build." Ron explained. "The must have left some of their stuff before they shot out of here."

"That's brilliant, Ron." Harry said. "Don't worry, Professor, we'll be back in a moment."

"I can hardly wait." Snape said sarcastically.

The eight of them shot out of the room. At the time, Sonic asked Harry.

"Is Snape always in a bad mood?"

"Actually, he's in a good mood, today." Harry replied.

* * *

Meanwhile, the scene changes to a lone shack close to the village near the castle. The shack had long been abandoned for over fifty years. Or it used to until now. Malfoy and his goons were kneeling on the floor in front a chair and the person sitting in it. Lord Voldemort's eyes gazed into the fireplace to watch the flames flicker lightly. At that time, Voldemort's snake, Nagini, slithered in and around her master's chair.

"So, I am to understand that Potter is creating a heart to control the heartless." Voldemort hissed; he eyes never leaving the flames. Malfoy nodded. "Excellent. If all works well, I will finally gain control of the heartless."

"But don't you already control them?" Malfoy asked. Big mistake.

Voldemort's head darted towards Malfoy with a sinister glare that sent shivers down his spine. Voldemort pointed his wand to him, muttering the word "_Crucio_". Malfoy began twitching on the floor, screaming in pain as if a thousand red hot nails were burning into his skin. Taking pleasure in Malfoy's screams, Voldemort released the curse.

"That will remind you where your place is." Voldemort hissed. "It is most unfortunate that I reveal that Black Doom does not trust me with the heartless."

"It's because he fears you." Malfoy said; ducking back in case Voldemort attacks again.

"How true." Voldemort said pleasingly. "Once the heartless are mine, Black Doom will have a reason to fear." He turned his eyes to Malfoy once more. "Young Malfoy, I have a mission for you."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	24. Sonic Team and the Magical World, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Three: Sonic Team and the Magical World, Part 2

At least one hour later, Sonic, Harry, and the other members of the team arrived back in Snape's cold dungeon office; each carrying a product from Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes. Such products include: Skiving Snackboxes, Canary Creams, Ton-Tongue Toffees, and Trick Wands. They would have come back sooner, but during their rummage, Storm accidentally set off a dung bomb, explaining their foul odor that covered them. Sonic and his mutated team were expecting Snape to at least be grateful for what they did, but Harry and his friend's knew better. Snape just snatched the objects from them and sneered.

"Took you long enough." Snape said coldly.

"It's not our fault." Ron stated. "We were just..."

"Don't back talk, Weasley." Snape said. "Or I'll have you serving detention for a week." Ron ceased talking, but still cursed Snape inside his head. "Ten points from Gryffindor, Weasley. You forget I know Legilimency. Now for the heart."

With a flick of Snape's wand, the wizard wheezes merged themselves with the pulsating heart. The heart levitated over to the Ghost Heartless on the table when a white beam shot out of nowhere and knocked Snape's wand out of his hand.

"What was that?" Storm asked.

"The Expelliarmus Spell." Silver stated. "Someone has disarmed him."

"That would be me." The group turned to find Malfoy and his lackeys and the doorway; the heart in hand. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Potter. Lord Voldemort will be very pleased."

The slippery Slytherin trio turned tail and ran.

"Since when does Malfoy work for You-Know-Who?!" Ron exclaimed.

"I always knew it was only a matter of time." Harry stated.

"Just who was that?" Sonic asked.

"Malfoy, a slimy little git." Ron stated. "He thinks he and his family are better then everyone else because they are rich and pure-blood."

"The Malfoy's family has served You-Know-Who since the last time he tried to take over." Hermione explained.

"Wait, I thought the Voldemort guy died a long time ago." Storm said. He looked to Harry. "You killed him didn't you?"

"He was only weakened, not killed." Harry explained "He came back last year. He used..."

"The bone of the father, the flesh of the servant, and the blood of the enemy." Silver stated wisely. Everyone turned to him with looks of confusion. "Albus, Shahra, and I learned about resurrections during our third year under our master's training."

"But what does he want with the heart?" Sonic asked.

"Do you think he might want to controll the heartless?" Storm asked.

"I am uncertain." Snape said as he suddenly reappeared. "But if you do not recover it quickly, there will be consequences!"

At that point, the group ran out the door; getting stuck before Snape blasted them out.

"How – find – them?" Angel strained; her English slightly improving.

"The Marauders Map, of course." Harry said; pulling out the blank parchment, tapping it with his wand. "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good."

The map of the entire castle stretched out of the wand tip and filled the parchment. Three names; one being Draco Malfoy, were seen running through the grounds and disappearing underneath a gangling tree.

"Oh no." Ron said worried. "They went to the Whomping Willow."

"The Whomping Willow?" Storm asked.

"It's a magical tree that attacks anything that comes near it." Hermione explained. "But if they disappeared under it, then that means..."

"They're headed for the Shrieking Shack." Harry finished. "We have to get that heart before Voldemort. Mischief managed."

The map became blank again and Harry stowed it in his robe. The heroes team followed Harry and his friends out onto the grounds. They stop when they came to a tall, dark oak tree with whip-like branches that swerved in every direction. Sonic took a step forward.

"I would do that if I were you." Hermione warned.

"What's the worse that can happen?" Sonic said. The Willow swung one of its branches around and slapped Sonic across the face. "Ooh, why do you have to hit so hard?"

Sonic fell over on the ground, unconscious, while the Willow raised one of its larger branches. It swung it down, but Storm swoops it and grabs Sonic by his shoulders with his talons before the tree hit. They looked they were in the clear when the Willow flicked one of its branches and swatted Storm across the face, making them both fall on the ground.

"Mommy, is that you?" Storm said in a daze.

We'll try to distract it while you try to immobilize it." Silver explained to the group.

"Got it." Harry nodded.

"Let's go, Angel!" Silver exclaimed.

"Ih!" Angel shouted.

When the Willow raised one of its bigger branches over Sonic and Storm, Angel flew by to catch its attention. And it worked. The Willow forgot the two existed and focused all its assaults of the flying pink irritation. Thankfully, Angel's body was so small that she slipped through the wave of branches without trouble. Meanwhile, Silver clapped his hands and ejected a large fireball from his mouth towards the Willow. But the Willow was magically resistant to fire and swatted it away. The Willow swung five of its branches down on Silver, who conjured a force field to protect himself. The Whomping Willow continually swung at Silver when suddenly it stopped moving all together.

"Got it!" Hermione said cheerily. "It took a while, but we managed to touch the knot in at the base."

"Well, that wasn't so bad." Sonic said, rubbing his sore jaw. "We better hurry before they get away."

"_The ungrateful rat._" Silver thought fiercely.

Hiding his thoughts away, Silver followed Sonic and the others through the low tunnel at the base of the tree. The tunnel was dark, especially at night, so Harry and his friends lit the tips of their wands to lead the way. The tunnel was low, cold, damp, and frightfully closed spaced. It was only when the tunnel rose back up and revealed a dim light did the group release the breath they had been holding. They had entered a room where the walls were peeling, stains covered the ground, and all the furniture had been ripped and destroyed.

"What happened here?" Sonic asked; stepping out of the tunnel.

"Our old teacher, Professor Lupin, was a werewolf during his time at school." Hermione explained. "Once a month, he would come here to transform where no one would get hurt."

"This is perfect." Ron said. "No one would ever expect You-Know-Who to be here."

"We weren't expecting to either." The group turned to see Malfoy and his goons; the heart no longer with them. "You always know how to spoil the moment, don't you, Potter."

"Where's the heart?" Harry questioned; his wand held high.

"Lord Voldemort has it." Malfoy responded; his wand also raised. "Soon, he will be the most powerful sorcerer in the universe. My family will be rewarded greatly for this."

"Yeah, you father could use all the help he can get in Azkaban." Harry smirked.

"You'll pay for that, potter!" Malfoy screamed.

Malfoy and his goons shot red blasts from their wand, but the group dodged behind the broken furniture. Harry and his friends retaliated with their own spells. Draco and the goon know as Goyle ducked out of the way, but the one called Crabbe was thrown back by Hermione's jinx; his face was now covered in ugly green boils. Crabbe looked at his face in a broken Mirror and screamed at his reflections before fainting. Sonic, Storm, and Angel had a good laugh, but Silver remained stone-faced. Malfoy Jumped over the ruin chair and blasted Ron with a green blast, which caused him to burp up slugs.

"Ugh, not again." Ron whined; burping two smaller slugs.

"That is something I don't need to see." Sonic said disgusted.

"Ih." Angel nodded.

Hermione retaliated by hovering a table leg at Malfoy's face. But Malfoy pushed Goyle in front; knocking him out in the process. Malfoy pushed Goyle away and shot a curse at Hermione, who was now frozen stiff on the floor. It was now between Malfoy and Harry. Both several feet from each other and moving in a perfect circle. Sonic's team made no move; for any sudden sound would set off a reaction. Finally, the floorboard creaked and the final spells were cast. Malfoy shot blue beam while Harry shot a red beam. Both rivals dodged the attacks, but Malfoy's bounced off a mirror shard and repelled back at him. Malfoy was thrown back and banged his head in the wall, knocking him out. Harry restored his friends seconds later.

"That was brilliant, Harry!" Hermione cheered.

"Way to go, Mate!" Ron also cheered.

"I must admit even I am impressed." Silver nodded.

"Thanks, but we really should start looking for Voldemort." Harry said.

"_There's no need, Harry._" A voice hissed in Harry's ears.

"Did you hear that?" Harry asked.

"Hear what?" Storm asked.

"You didn't hear it." Harry asked bewildered. The group shook there heads. "But that means...someone was speaking in Parseltongue."

"Parseltongue?" Sonic asked.

"It's a language that speaks to snakes." Silver explained. "It's a very rare and dark trait."

"But if someone was speaking in parseltongue..." Ron said; his face pale.

"Then the one who spoke was..." Harry continued.

"Me!"

The group turned to the stair, but the next second, a red beam hit the floor in front of them. The beam created a blast that blew off the side of the wall. Sonic and the others survived the blast and were thrown out into the snowy hillside. Checking that the others were ok, Sonic looked back to the Shrieking Shack to stare into the chalk-white, skull-like face of Lord Voldemort. Sonic tried to call his Keyblade, but Voldemort raised his wand shouting "Crucio", making him twitch in pain onto the cold, snowy ground.

"There will be no need for that." Voldemort said while lifting the curse. He turned his red gleaming red eyes to Harry. "Harry Potter, it is good to see you again. Tell me, how are your parents."

"Better, now that they're going to be avenged!" Harry screamed; trying to run at Voldemort, but was held back by Ron and Angel.

"Temper, Harry." Voldemort cackled. "You'll be joining your mudblood mother and blood-traitor father very soon. Now that I posses this."

He pulled the heart from out of his cloak.

"Give that back!" Harry yelled.

"You'll have to take it from my cold, dead body." Voldemort laughed. "But then again, I can't die." Voldemort pressed the heart into his chest, which absorbed it instantly. The heroes gapped. "Now witness the full power of Lord Voldemort!"

Voldemort closed his eyes and groaned with concentration. Soon, his shadow stretched to over fifty feet long and started raising itself up off the ground. The shadow formed into a gigantic black snake with fangs as long as swords, spines the size of spades, and the heartless emblem encrusted on its forehead.

"A Basilisk!" Hermione screamed; turning her eyes away from it.

"No, it's different." Harry stated. "I don't think it's as lethal as a real basilisk. It can't kill by looking at its eye."

"But that is where you are wrong, Harry." Voldemort cackled. "It can prove to be quite deadly. Now my serpent, attack!" But the Shadow Basilisk didn't move. "Did you not hear me?! I, your master, command you to attack!"

The Shadow Basilisk turned on of its eyes back at its creator. The next moment, the Shadow Basilisk's tail swung at Voldemort and knocked him into the side of the shack.

"It turned on him!" Storm exclaimed.

"If he can't control it, then this is bad." Silver said.

The Shadow Basilisk thrust its head forward at Sonic, but he jumped away in time. Sonic recalled his Shadow Blade and swiped at the Shadow Basilisk when it thrust its head again and missed. But the blade barely scraped the monsters leathery rock-hard skin. The Shadow Basilisk swung its head sideways and rolled Sonic down the snowy hill. As Sonic sat up, the Shadow Basilisk raised its raised its head over him; it fangs bared. Sonic covered his head in a panic when the Shadow Basilisk took another stab at him. But luckily, Storm swooped in just in time and stabbed one of its eyes with his talons.

"Thanks, buddy!" Sonic shouted as he ran for safety.

"No problem." Storm said.

The Shadow Basilisk snapped its mouth at Storm, but barely missed by his tail feathers. Then Angel swooped by its head and redirected its attention towards her. The Shadow Basilisk started to snap at Angel, but it was more difficult with Angel's small body and increased speed. Angel whipped her tentacles at monster's head every opportunity she had; not seeing its tail flying towards her until she was face flat in the ground. The Shadow Basilisk threw its head down on the poor mutated experiment when Silver jumped in and blocked with a force field.

"Get her out of here!" Silver shouted. Harry quickly grabbed Angel and jolted away. Silver disabled the barrier and jumped away as the Shadow Basilisk's fangs stabbed the ground. "This isn't working! It's skin is too thick to penetrate!"

"But it was to have some kind of weakness." Sonic said.

"Harry, you fought a basilisk before." Ron stated. "How did you defeat it?"

"I nearly died, but I killed it by stabbing the inside of its mouth." Harry explained.

"You hear that, Sonic?!" Silver shouted. "We need to stab it from the inside!"

"And how do you expect me to do that?!" Sonic shouted frantically.

"You're the keyblade Master!" Silver stated coldly. "You figure it out!"

Sonic growled at Silver before he realized the Shadow Basilisk loomed over him. He quickly jumped away as it bared its fangs and stabbed at the ground again. Storm tried for another aerial assault, but the Shadow Basilisk was wiser this time around and swung its head sideways to knock him back down. Harry and his friends tried to help by casting spells, but the Shadow Basilisk's skin made him resistant to all kinds of magic. Not even silver's spells worked. Watching his friends risk their lives to fight made Sonic realize how useless he was being to them.

"If I don't do something, they'll die." Sonic whispered. "No, no, that won't happen. I won't let it!"

Not knowing how he did it, Sonic curled into a ball and shot forward at the Shadow Basilisk with his Spin Dash. But when the Shadow Basilisk realized he was attacking, it opened its mouth wide and swallowed him whole.

"No!" Hermione gasped.

"Tooka!" Angel cried.

"I can't believe it." Silver whispered; his eyes wide with panic. "He's really..."

But just then, something shot from roof of the Shadow Basilisk's skull. It was Sonic's keyblade. Crying in pain, the Shadow Basilisk spat Sonic, who was covered in yellow saliva, out. It flailed its head in circles, issuing screeches of pain, before falling over dead. Before Sonic could recollect what happened, the entire group except Silver embraced him a victorious hug.

"You did it!" Ron screamed.

"I can't believe you beat it!" Hermione cried.

Meanwhile, Silver searched over the dead heartless.

"So the heart didn't work after all." Silver said. "Snape won't like this at all."

Silver rejoined the group, but did not partake in the celebrations. Suddenly, seven red beams flew out of nowhere and knocked everyone down the hillside. Silver got to his knees just as Voldemort swooped dow to overshadowed him.

"The heart was a failure." Voldemort said unpleasantly. "No matter. This is but a minor setback. No that all of you have been drained of your powers, killing you will be child's play." Voldemort glared down at Silver. "You first."

Voldemort held his hand to Silver's face, whom seemed to have a pained expression. Silver was lifted like a puppet on invisible wires by Voldemort's hand until he was within eye level of him. The snake faced dark lord hissed a menacing laugh as he raised his wand, but Silver beat him to it.

"_Avada Kedavra!_" Silver shouted.

A green light burst from Silver's hand and hit Voldemort square in the chest, forcing him to let go. Voldemort was hurtled a several yards backward before he landed on his back; his eyes wide and black with a horrified expression. Silver panted in relief before looking back at the others. They held the same expression as Voldemort currently did, but Harry's seemed the worse.

"What just happened?" Sonic asked timidly.

"_Avada Kedavra, _the killing curse." Hermione explained frighteningly. "Anyone touched by it suffers instant death."

Sonic's expression was now more horrified then Harry's. Never in his life would he have imagined Silver using such a curse. It was to unbearable to believe. But his attention was turned elsewhere. His Keyblade suddenly appeared in his hand appeared on the ground.

"The keyhole!" Angel shouted perfectly.

"Time to get to work." Sonic said.

Sonic raised his Keyblade to the air, which emitted a pulse-like wave. A second later, a locking sound was heard and the keyhole disappeared. The Heroes reentered the tunnel under the shack; Harry and his friends trying to stay as far away from Silver as possible.

* * *

The heroes returned back to the castle, But Silver remained in the entrance hall while the others went to Snape's office, much to Ron's relief. When they had entered into his office, they found Snape and Ginny; the Ghost Heartless gone.

"Where's the heartless." Harry asked.

"I don't know. It just disappeared." Ginny said.

"Sorry to tell you, Professor, but the heart was a failure." Hermione said apologetically to Snape. "Voldemort used it to create a heartless, but it backfired."

"Can't say I wasn't expecting that." Snape said coolly. The others stared at his confused. "The heart is something even I cannot fathom. Those who try are doom to failure."

"Ginny, I should have listened to you." Harry said to her; his head held down. "I never should have tried to control the heartless. It was my fault Voldemort nearly regained his full power."

"Don't blame yourself. It could have happened to anyone." Ginny said cheerfully. "You can always try something different next time. I'll even help you."

"That would be great." Harry smiled.

"Of course you know this means we'll have to cancel this years celebration." Hermione said.

"Aw, the bites." Ron whined.

"I owe you a lot." Harry said to Sonic. "Take this as a token of my thanks."

Harry held a hand out and gave Sonic a key chained shaped like a red phoenix. Sonic replaced the keychains and watched his Keyblade transform. Two red and gold wings circled the handle, the body turned flaming red, and four golden sharp feathers stood out at the end.

"Cool." Sonic said admirably. "I'll call it the Phoenix Blade."

"I wonder what powers it has." Storm said.

"We'll find out soon probably." Sonic said happily.

"Good luck." Harry said. he then stooped down to Sonic and whispered in his ear. "Watch out for Silver. There's something not right with him."

Normally, Sonic would disagree. But after what he did to Voldemort, he wasn't sure what to believe anymore. Back at the entrance hall, Silver leaned against the wall; his clawed foot tapping irritably against the floor.

"_I kill their problem and they see me as nothing but a heartless monster!" _Silver mentally growled. "_Those ungrateful brats! Sonic killed many villains and yet he is worshiped as a hero. Teridax was right. I am destined for greater things."_

* * *

Meanwhile, Voldemort's dead body still rested with in the blanket of snow; a new flurry beginning to bury him. Voldemort's pet snake, Nagini, slithered through the hole in the side of the shack and gazed sadly at her departed master. Nagini nudged her master, but he wouldn't move. If it could cry, it would. Suddenly, a light flashed behind the distraught snake and Black Doom appeared. Nagini hissed angrily until Black held his hand.

"Do not worry, you master is not dead...yet." Black Doom stated; Nagini started to calm. "That is the third in our ranks to fall before the Keyblade Master and lackeys. Such a terrible loss, too. I highly valued Voldemort's abilities."

Just then, Espio appeared out of nowhere next to Black Doom.

"At this rate, there will be no one left." Espio said. "I'm beginning to wonder if I have what it takes to defeat Sonic alone."

"But you are not alone." Black Doom said sinisterly. Espio looked to him for answers. "I feel that we will be receiving a new ally very soon."

Nagini calmly slithered up to Black Doom and drapped herself over his shoulders. Being sure that Nagini was calm, Black Doom issued a mental command with a wave of his hand. A second later, Black Doom's Eye floated down from the sky and hovered before them. It blinked before projecting an image of a certain mage: Silver the Hedgehog.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	25. Bounty and Betrayal, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Four: Bounty and Betrayal, Part 1

After saying good bye to Harry and his friends, Silver transformed himself and the rest of his team back to their normal forms and returned them to their Gears. Just like when they left Mahri Nui, Silver remained distant from the others. Taking Sonic's advice, Storm and Angel busied themselves with a game of checkers; Angel winning. But to their surprise, it was Sonic who was worrying this time.

"Come on, Silver. At least talk to us." Sonic was practically begging. But Silver refused to answer. "This isn't right. I'm his apprentice, he should at least be teaching me."

"Stop bugging, Sonic." Storm said lazily.

"Hey! That's my phrase!" Sonic exclaimed. "You are not allowed to use it against me!"

"What's the deal?" Storm asked. "Before, you were all for Silver keeping shut."

"I was, but after that whole thing with Voldemort, I'm starting to wonder if Silver's in the right state." Sonic stated.

But Silver was not ignorant to the commotion behind him. So they thought he was losing it, huh? Even after all he had done for them, they were still ungrateful. If anything infuriated him more then the so-called 'Keyblade Master', it was the King. They had fought together in the previous war along with Shahra, Dumbledore, and their Master. But Silver suspected the King didn't trust him enough to explain his reason for leaving. Was that what this was about, lack of trust? While Silver retained his cold solitude and Sonic and Storm conversed, Angel looked back and saw something that made her eyes go wide.

"Tookie." Angel poked the back of Storm's head; never reverting her eyes.

"Maybe he's sick or something?" Storm suggested.

"Tookie." Angel poked again, but they still didn't listen.

"But if he's sick, he could just heal himself with magic." Sonic stated.

"GUYS!!" Angel screamed. That did it.

"I don't believe it! She said her first word!" Storm cheered.

"She said a hundred words before now." Silver pointed coldly before turning away.

"What is it, Angel?" Storm asked excitedly. "What do you want to say?"

Angel finally snaps and forcibly grabs his beak to force him to look back. "That!"

He, not having a choice in the matter, stared back to what Angel saw and allowed his beak to drop. Sonic and Silver looked back as well and held the same expression. They caught sight of a gigantic battleship sailing closer to them. It was twice the size of a normal ship and covered completely in jewels of every shape, size, and type. It had a massive black mast with a white symbol of a head with a mustache. The ship, with its large size and speed, was already overshadowing the group.

"Since when to ships fly?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"If you had been paying attention..." Silver said coldly while still focusing on the ship. "You would know that anything is possible by now."

Sonic was ready to retort when nearly fifty Neo Heartless formed on the side of the ship and clung to it with their feet.

"Heartless!" Angel cried.

"It's never easy, is it?" Sonic groaned.

Sonic whipped out his Keyblade as the heartless jumped. Silver conjured a barrier for himself and knocked the heartless into space. But the barrier only worked for a limited space. The barrier did not cover below his feet and was wide open when a heartless flipped under his Gear and kicked him in the jaw. Storm and Angel were doing their best to fight them off, but their space was limited and left them at a disadvantage. Sonic was flailing his Phoenix Blade at random, hoping to hit something. But with Sonic distracted by his own flailing, a heartless snuck up and chopped him in the back of the neck and everything went black.

* * *

--**Southern Ocean--**

Sonic didn't know how long he was out, only that the back of his neck was stinging when he did. Giving off a loud groan, Sonic sat up and shook his head free from whatever drowsiness he had left. As he stood up, he was finally to register where he was. He was on the deck of the ship that had attacked them. Like its outside, the ships floors and walls were made from metal filled with jewels, even the mast. On the side of the decks were pedestals mounted with laser cannons and missile launchers. Even he couldn't help but admire the spectacular craftsmanship of the ship. But when he snapped out of it, he realized that neither Silver, Storm, nor Angel were no longer with him.

"Guys, are you hear!" Sonic called. "Silver? Storm? Angel?

"You won't find them here."

Sonic turned sharply around, nearly giving himself a whiplash, and gazed up the deck to find his former friend, Espio.

"Espio, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked seriously.

"Isn't it obvious?" Espio responded loftily. "I'm here on a special assignment with my good friend, Captain Whisker."

"Whisker?" Sonic asked; stifling a laugh. "What kind of name is Whisker."

"I asked myself that same thing." Espio shook his head. "But seeing as this is his ship, it would be best if you and your friends would not insult him."

"What did you do to them?" Sonic growled. "Where are they?"

"Are they that important to you? More important then old friend?" Espio said alarmingly venomous. "I suggest that instead of worrying about them, you should be asking about her."

As Espio stepped to the side, Sonic felt as if his own heart had dropped to his stomach. It was Amy, looking weak and leaning against the mast. Her usually cheery expression had completely been wiped out, her face was eerily pale, and her eyes barely half open. But the thing that scared Sonic the most was when he looked into her eyes, they were blank.

"Amy!" Sonic cried. "What have you done to her?"

"Nothing. On the contrary, I have been helping her." Espio stated. "While you out goofing off with your friends, I found her a have been looking for a way to restore her. Unlike you, I care about her."

That last remark was the last straw. Sonic whipped out his Phoenix Blade and ran at Espio with every intention of cutting him down to size. Suddenly, two heartless dressed like pirates appeared out of the ground and crossed their swords to cut him off. Captain Whisker walked out on the deck.

"Let's not be hasty, ye bilge rat." Whisker said mockingly. "I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt."

"The only one that will be hurting is him!" Sonic shouted; pointing to Espio.

"Quite a temper he's got." Whisker chuckled. "Ye failed to mention that. Black Doom would have a laugh with this one."

"So it's true, you are working for Black Doom." Sonic said sadly. "But why, Espio? Why would you join these monsters?"

"I do not side with them." Espio corrected him. "The heartless are under my command, Sonic. With them, I have nothing to fear."

"You have the biggest idiot I've ever known!" Sonic exclaimed. "Sooner or later, they'll swallow your heart!"

"I seriously doubt that." Espio said in a bored manner. "They are very well disciplined and I have learned a few new tricks, like this one." Espio extended his hand and Sonic gaped t what happened next. Sonic's shadow came to life and rose before him. It looked exactly like Sonic, only its fur was black and had no pupils. "Sonic, allow me to introduce you to your shadow, Dark Sonic."

"I...I...uh." Sonic stammered; he was too afraid of Espio's powers to finish his sentences.

"You can go see your friends now." Espio said as he turned away. The next moment, the floor beneath Sonic opened and fell through. "Let get things underway. And keep Sonic away from Amy until we're ready to land." And with that, Espio walked away and Whisker growled.

"Who does that scallywag thing he is." Whisker said furiously. "If he wasn't Black Doom's pet, I would have finished him." He took a glance at the heartless and turned away. A second later, he did a double take. "Hold it. Aren't ye supposed to be guarding the hold?" The heartless looked at each other and shrugged. "But if you're here, who's guarding the girl?!"

* * *

"Are you sure it was her?" Storm asked Sonic.

"Yeah, it was definitely Amy." Sonic said cheerfully. "I finally found her."

"All right, then let's go find her!" Storm exclaimed happily for his friend.

"Ih." Angel nodded. "But – Get – Off."

When Sonic fell through the ceiling, it caused a pileup with Sonic on top, Storm in the middle, and Angel being crushed under the combined weight. Sonic scratched his head sheepishly and moved off to allow the others to get up. Once they got up; Angel cracking her sore back, he explained everything that happened. About how Espio had joined the heartless, how Espio created a shadow version of himself, and how Espio had turned his back to him. It was bad enough to experience it, but it hurt Sonic even more to have explain it. Noticing this, the other two didn't ask questions. That's when it hit him.

"Where's Silver?" Sonic asked; looking around the hold for his teacher.

"We were hoping you would know." Storm said gloomily. "Maybe they captured him for information."

"I'm not worried." Sonic said. "Silver is strong. He'll find a way out. Just wish we could say the same thing."

"Then why don't you, mate?" called a female Australian voice.

Angel and Storm jumped into Sonic's arms, crushing him under their combined weight. Sonic scratched his way out from under his team and found what had spooked them. They found it was only an eight year-old raccoon girl. She had orange fur with brown markings and two strands sticking out the back of her head held by two gold rings. She wore a green sleeveless shirt, black shorts, tan gloves, and green and orange shoes. Realizing they were safe, Storm and Angel gratefully got off Sonic.

Who are you?" Storm asked.

"I'm Capt. Marine the Raccoon, the world's greatest adventurer, mate!" Marine screamed.

"Yeah...right." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Ok, then. I guess you don't want my help on getting out of here, mate." Marine waved as she turned away.

"Wait!" Storm called. "You know a way out?"

"Of course." Marine said merrily. She hummed to herself as she walked towards the door. She then pushed it open; the door had been unlocked the entire time. "Just go through."

There mouths dropped; feeling utterly embarrassed, Sonic sputtered. "B-but if you could walk out this whole time, why didn't you leave?"

"Hmm...I forgot." Marine said innocently.

The trio facefaulted into the floor. Before having to endure anymore embarrassment, Sonic and his remaining team made a haste for the door. Sonic stuck his head out carefully and looked from side to side to make sure there weren't anymore unexpected guests. Seeing that the coast was clear, he waved back to his team and tiptoed along the wall. The halls had been clear for most parts; having not seen a single heartless since they escaped. While searching through the rooms, Sonic was lucky enough to discover twelve dragon eggs.

"I nearly have them all." Sonic told himself. "Only a few more and I can bring them back to Salla."

"Uh...Sonic, we have a problem." Storm told him; closing the door carefully.

Storm motioned Sonic and cracked the door wide enough to see. Fifteen to twenty Pirate Heartless and at least three pirates with wings were chattering down the hall not far from them.

"Ok, if we can sneak quietly enough, maybe they won't spot us." Sonic whispered to them.

"Why are we whispering!" Marine yelled; she had apparently followed them without them knowing.

The Sonic Team screamed in surprise as they fell on their backs, which led them out into the hall. They turned their heads and found that their screams had alerted the heartless. They screeched furiously and made a mad dash for the group.

"We'll talk about this later!" Sonic seethed to Marine.

Sonic summoned up his Phoenix Blade and dived amidst the heartless. Sonic swung his weapon in a circle, slicing up three of them before jumping back to avoid one of the Air Pirates. Storm ran like a mad bull at the group and rammed them into them wall. One of the Air Pirates crept up and sank their claws into Storm's shoulders; he hissed in pain. The Air Pirate tugged up, but there was no way it could lift him. The pirate waved his claw nervously at Storm, who was grinning wickedly, before receiving a fist in the face. Angel jumped onto one of the Air Pirate's back and used her antenna to control the heartless' movement. She directed the heartless to its comrades and forced it to cut them down before forcing it to smash itself into the wall. Sonic swung his Keyblade upwards to cut across the last heartless. He returned his weapon and redirected his attention to Marine.

"What were you thinking!" Sonic exclaimed.

"I was thinking it would be a great opportunity to show me stuff, mate." Marine said proudly. "And maybe yank that mustache of Whisker's.

"You can't come." Sonic said with authority; he felt strange being mature.

"Aw, c'mon, mate." Marine whined. "I'm the greatest adventurer ever. I can't miss something like this."

"It wouldn't be so bad." Storm stated. Eyebrows rose to him from Sonic and Angel. "Think about it, she knows this place better then any of us. Maybe she could take us to Amy."

Sonic sighed heavily and waved his hands in defeat. "Fine, she can stay, but only until we find Amy."

"Bonza!" Marine exclaimed as she marched ahead.. "C'mon, mate! Follow your captain and she will guide you!"

"Since when was she our captain?" Sonic questioned awkwardly.

Storm and Angel shrugged before following the excited raccoon. But a few short minutes later, they instantly regretted their choice. Apparently, Marine only knew the way to the kitchen and the bathroom; why Whisker would need something like this since he's a robot remains a mystery. They came across another group of heartless in a storage room and had to fight their way across. Sonic called his Keyblade and cut across while adding his new Spin Dash for fun. He still had no idea how he did it. Storm grabbed five heartless around the neck and into a chock hold before they disappeared. Angel used her antenna and claws to hack away at the remaining heartless. Angel wiped away the sweat on her head and panted, exhausted from all the fight. A single remaining heartless crept over her and was ready to attack until it disappeared. Angel looked over and found only Marine.

"Gaba?" Angel questioned.

"You ok, mate?" Marine asked cheerfully.

"Ih." Angel nodded.

"What was that?" Sonic asked as he a Storm rejoined them. "Where'd that heartless go?"

"Gone, mate." Marine stated simply.

"But how did you do it?" Sonic asked.

"Dunno." Marine said in a bored manner.

"Hey, I've been wondering something." Storm said out loud. "Why are you here anyway?"

"I was wondering the same thing." Sonic stated.

"I got bored one day and decided to leave." Marine said simply. "I took my moms old Gear and..."

"Hold up! Did you say Gear?!" Storm shouted in surprise. Marine nodded. "Hey, your mom wouldn't happen to be Aqua the Raccoon, would she?"

"Yeah, how'd you know!" Marine expressed excitingly.

"No wonder you looked so familiar." Storm said in wonderment.

"Who's Aqua?" Sonic asked.

"Aqua was the Extreme Gear Engineer before Vector and Charmy." Storm explained. "No one knows why, but Aqua just up and left one day. Do you know what this means, Sonic." Storm asked; Sonic shook his head. "It means Marine doesn't belong here because she's a Babylonian."

"You have got to be kidding me." Sonic groaned.

"But – Why – You – Here? Angel struggled; her English gradually improving in Sonic's opinion.

"I wanted to go on an adventure, mate." Marine said merrily. "When I heard of that Whisker guy, I thought it would be the perfect chance. Plus, it's fun to play with his mustache."

"But you're a kid." Storm explained. "You can't go up against someone like him. He's working for Black Doom, a very evil guy. You don't stand a chance."

"Of course I do, mate." Marine said; unaffected by Storm's words. "You can do anything as long as you believe."

"Kid, you've been reading too many fairy tales." Sonic muttered.

"Have not!" Marine shouted.

"Have too!" Sonic returned.

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

"Not!"

"Too!"

"Ichiba!" Angel screamed; pushing them away from each other. "Ishida toge nootaka leeva!"

They all stared at her with their eyes wide before Marine asked. "What did she say, mate?"

"We've been wonder that for a long time." Sonic replied.

Angel slapped her face in annoyance. She really needs to find a better team. Just then, At least twenty Neo Shadows, thirty Pirates, and Ten Air Pirates formed out of the ground and air their swords/claws to strike.

"Can't you guys just leave us alone." Sonic groaned as he drew his Phoenix Blade. To their surprise, the heartless ducked out of sight. "Uh...thanks?"

"That's new." Storm said in relief. "Wonder what spooked them off?"

"Isn't it obvious, mates?" Marine said. The trio turned to their heads to the girl. "One look at good ol' Capt. Marine and they all left with their tails between their legs."

The three chuckled awkwardly while sweat dropping in the back of their heads. Suddenly, the air turned frightfully cold. Sonic shivered a bit, but it didn't seem to be affecting the others. Sonic then suddenly felt the presence of something ready to attack him from behind. Sonic quickly dropped down to his stomach as a black blur moved over his head. Marine was quick to jump away when the blur whizzed past her as well. The blur stopped in the middle of the room and revealed itself to be Dark Sonic.

"Is that him?" Storm asked.

"Yeah. That's Dark Sonic." Sonic growled. "Espio created him through my shadow."

"I was created through more then that." Dark Sonic spoke, catching everyone off guard. "That's right, I can talk. I was created through the darkness of your heart. All your angry, your sorrow, your jealousy, it all acts as blood through my veins."

"That's the kind of image I can live without." Sonic said in disgust; attempting to keep himself from vomiting.

"Too bad. Because I plan to spill some this day." Dark Sonic said menacingly.

With surprisingly swift speed, Dark Sonic zoomed past them and kicked Sonic in the back of his head. Sonic fell on his face and rolled over as his dark half jumped up with his fist raised. He dived at Sonic, but Storm saved the day by grabbing his fist and throwing him to the wall.

"Take that!" Storm yelled victoriously.

"You are foolish too celebrate early." Dark Sonic said.

In was amazing how calm Dark Sonic seemed in the face of battle. Storm swung his fist in around while rushing at Dark Sonic. But without warning, Dark Sonic melted into the ground. Storm stopped in mid-shock. He searched hopelessly around the room, nearly knocking Sonic's block off by mistake. He only realized his mistake when Dark Sonic reappeared out of the ceiling and kicked Storm in the back of his head; his beak being caught in the ground. Dark Sonic began cackling, especially after he caught Angel's antenna she used to whip at him.

"Gaba?" Angel questioned in surprise.

"You didn't expect to defeat me that easily." Dark Sonic said. he pulled Angel into the air and whirl her around before throwing her to the wall. He turned his deadly stare to Marine. "Now for you."

Marine scurried back to try and get as far away from the evil shadow as possible. Marine whimpered and seemed on the verge of tears. Dark Sonic stared maliciously at Marine and raised his hand to tighten it around her neck. Marine whimpered more then she ever did in her life and cried frighteningly. She felt herself being lifted off the ground; air quickly departing from her lungs. Though her vision became blurry, she could distinctly make out Sonic kneel not far away from her; his eyes wide in horror. She reached out her hand hopelessly to him and whispered.

"Please...help." Her eyes closed and her arm went limp.

"Marine?" Sonic said silently before his voice came back. "MARINE!!"

"And so it ends." Dark Sonic cackled.

He released his grip from Marine's neck and allowed her to fell limp on the ground. Dark Sonic stepped when his other half ran up to Marine and tried to shake her awake.

"Marine, talk to me!" Sonic begged. "Marine, this isn't funny!"

"Don't bother. She is long dead." Dark Sonic stated. "But do not fret, you will be joining her very soon."

Sonic did not pay attention to his evil half. All that matter was Marine. She may have been annoying, stubborn, and loud mouthed, but she was still kindhearted and cared about them. He refused to believe she was dead. Guided by a sudden urge that controlled him, Sonic hovered his hand over Marine's chest. A green aura appeared around his hand and seeped it her skin. Marine suddenly woke up with an audible gasp.

"What happened, mate?" Marine asked confused.

"Marine!" Sonic exclaimed joyously; wrapping her into a hug. "I'm so glad you're ok."

"_How is this possible?_" Dark Sonic thought. "_I had not expected this._"

"Now it's just you and me." Sonic said as he stood and whipped out his Keyblade.

"Some other time, perhaps." Dark Sonic said as he melted into the floor. "We'll meet again very soon."

"What happened?" Storm asked with Angel joining him.

"I don't know, but I don't care." Sonic said equally cheerful as Marine. "All that matters is that we're all together and we're all right."

Storm and Angel felt strange around Sonic with his new personality, especially when he tried to get them in a group hug.

* * *

Meanwhile, the scene changes to Whisker's cabin room. Espio held his back to Whisker while they talked and another figure was hidden in the shadows near the cabin door. The figure watched as Whisker stomped around the cabin in rage.

"What do ye mean Marine's not one of the chosen ones?!" Whisker yelled angrily.

"There are seven, supposedly, and Black Doom says she's not one of them." Espio said coolly.

"How does that three eyed freak even know these things?" Whisker questioned.

"I wouldn't be mocking him, if I were you." The shadowed figure said. "You never know when he might be listening."

"Black Doom has been successful in finding the six princesses we have captured so far." Espio said respectfully. "We should be arriving on Southern Island very soon. Once we do, leave all the dead weight behind, including her."

"After all the trouble I went through to capture her?!" Whisker shouted. "Why does he need those seven? What is Black Doom planning?"

"I have an idea, but it is none of your concern." The shadowed figure said.

"I could care less what he is doing." Espio said. "As long as Amy gets her heart back, that's all that matters. I will not allow anyone to interrupt my duty."

Whisker was about to speak again when Dark Sonic appeared from beneath the floor.

"What is it?" Whisker asked.

"I bring some interesting news." Dark Sonic said. "Apparently, you left the door unlock and your prisoners have escaped."

"What?!" Whisker exclaimed.

"Why am I not surprised." The shadowed figure chuckled.

"There's more." Dark Sonic continued. "They have made friends with a certain raccoon you all know, but I killed her." Whisker looked pleased before Dark Sonic continued. "But that was before my other half brought her back. His hands emitted a strange green aura and the raccoon was revived."

"So Sonic has learned about healing magic." The shadowed figure said amusingly. "That _is_ interesting."

"Grr...those meddlesome curs don't know when to quit." Whisker growled. He turned his attention to Dark Sonic. "I want ye to find the pink hedgehog and bring her here at once." Dark Sonic nodded in understanding and melted into the floor once more. "If we can't kill them, we can at least make sure they don't ruin everything we've worked for."

"Everyone has to die." The shadowed figure stated. "It's just a matter of looking in the right places."

"You would know all about that, wouldn't you?" Espio smirked.

"Let them try to bumble their way here. Because after tonight..." The figure moved from out of the shadows to reveal none other then Silver the Hedgehog; an evil expression on his face. "...The 'Keyblade Master' will finally meet his end."

* * *

**Please, read and view.**


	26. Bounty and Betrayal, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Five: Bounty and Betrayal, Part 2

Heartless were no longer afraid to reveal themselves after Dark Sonic left. The Neo Shadows reappeared in an attempt to catch the heroes off guard, but the heartless stood no chance against them. While Sonic cut down the last of the heartless, Marine looked up to a caged room above them.

"Hey, mate, what did you say this Amy girl looked like?" Marine asked staring at the cage.

"You never told us before." Storm stated.

"Well, she's a hedgehog, like me, but with pink fur." Sonic described.

"Does she wear a red dress with red boots?" Marine asked

"Yeah." Sonic replied stunned. "How did you know?"

"Because she's right there, mate!" Marine exclaimed as she pointed to the cage.

At hearing this new piece of information, Sonic and the team run under the cage and looked up. True to her words, Marine discovered Amy's lifeless body sitting near the cage.

"Amy!" Sonic called. "Amy, can you hear me? It's me, sonic!"

But Amy seemed unable to respond. Sonic became hopeful when her arm fell over, but realized it was only the boat rocking. Something wasn't right, he told himself. Amy had never ignored him before. What happened to her? Was it the heartless, or did Espio have something to do with it?

"I don't think she can hear you, mate." Marine said bluntly.

"You don't think she's..." Storm said hesitantly for Sonic's sake.

"No!" Sonic yelled. "She's alive! I know she is!"

Sonic continued to call to her, but failed to receive any answer. Sonic raised his hand to her as if hoping to reach out and touch her. He suddenly felt a warm sensation in his chest and received a joyous surprise: Amy's hand flinched.

"Choota!" Angel cheered.

"Sonic, you're right!" Storm exclaimed happily. "She's alive!"

"Don't get too excited." Sonic felt a shiver down his spine when the voice came. A dark figure loomed over Amy's body and kneeled down to the bar to reveal Dark Sonic. "You won't be seeing her much longer."

"Stay away from her!" Sonic yelled.

"I have been given orders by the captain to obtain her." Dark Sonic said, laughing. "If you want to find her, I suggest you come to his cabin." He grabbed Amy by the waist. "Farewell." At that, Dark Sonic melted into the walls with Amy.

"Amy!" Sonic cried.

"She's gone, buddy." Storm said solemnly.

"The cabin." Sonic said. "He said he was taking her to Whisker's cabin. We have to find it."

"But we don't know where it is." Storm informed.

"We could always go this way, mates!" Marine shouted cheerfully. The trio of heroes looked around the storage room, but saw no signs of her. They looked up and surprisingly found Marine's head sticking itself out from a hole in the ceiling. "Hiya, mates."

"Marine, how did you get up there?" Storm questioned.

"I don't know." Marine said dreamily.

Sonic, Storm, and Angel sweat dropped at Marine's answer, but reluctantly followed her up. Angel used her antenna to climb up, while Sonic jumped up. Storm jumped through the hole too, but found himself being caught. It took ten minutes and a bucket of grease that Marine got from out of nowhere before he could get out.

"Crikey!" Marine panted. "You are really fa..."

Sonic clapped his hand over Marine's mouth and hissed. "Never say the 'f-word' around Storm."

Marine had no idea why, but didn't disobey. The hole had led them to a hall similar to the ones in the lower with a few exceptions. The walls were made of gold and the jewels were lined up in a sequenced order: rubies, sapphires, emeralds, and diamonds. Along the walls, several portraits of the mechanical pirate. The doors were made of silver and even the doorknobs were made of pearls.

Sonic whistled impressively and said. "Man, this guy is loaded."

"He almost has as many jewels as the Babylon Treasury." Storm said in awe. He looked over his shoulder and noticed Angel trying to steal the doorknobs. "Angel, no!"

"Toota iggla." Angel muttered under her breath.

"There is nothing to fear." A muffled voice said the end of the hall. "Dark Sonic will take care of them."

"I know them, Espio." A familiar voice said. "They can come up with some unexpected tactics."

Sonic instantly knew that the first voice had belonged to Espio, but what surprised him was the second voice talking back. It was Silver's voice. But what would he be doing with Espio? Was he being held prisoner? Storm must have though the same thing. He brought his arms out and charged at the door like an angry bull. Storm busted through the door and the others followed him into Whisker's cabin. The lifeless Amy rested on the bed while Silver and Espio stood near the window, gazing upon their intruders.

"I told you, didn't I?" Silver said.

"Leave, Sonic." Espio commanded. "You don't belong here."

"I'm not going anywhere until I get Amy back!" Sonic stated.

"Then let's see how quick those feet of yours are." Espio grimaced.

Sonic and Espio were locked in a competitive stare down. This reminded Sonic of all the times he would challenge Espio, but lost every time. But that's what made Sonic stronger. Now was his chance to prove it. The two turned and bolted across the room towards Amy. Espio was amazed that Sonic had become faster all of a sudden. It looked like Sonic was ready to win when he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

"What's going on?" Sonic questioned.

Espio passed him and took Amy into his arms. At the same moment, Sonic was thrown at the desk, slid along the surface, and landed faced down at Silver's feet.

"Silver, what'd ya do that for!" Storm exclaimed.

"I couldn't let him interfere with our mission." Silver answered.

"Mission?" Sonic questioned as he stood up. "What mission?"

"The mission Black Doom assigned me." Silver replied menacingly. The heroes, save for Marine, gasped in shock. He laughed at their expressions "Surprised, are you? I thought you would. No one would expect the loyal Silver to betray his allies."

"But what about the king?" Storm asked stunned.

"What king?!" Silver shouted furiously. "The king who abandoned us?! The king who left with telling us where?! The king..." Silver pointed to Sonic. "...Who dumped this rat on us? There is no king, there is only Black Doom."

"_This looks tense._" Marine though worriedly. "_I hope everyone will be all right._"

"But why would you join Black Doom?" Sonic questioned. "He's pure evil."

"Black Doom has shown me the light." Silver said respectfully. "There is no good and evil. There is only power and those to weak to seek it. People like you, Sonic."

"Then you leave me no choice." Sonic said, summoning his KeyBlade. "I'll just have to knock you back to your senses."

Sonic raised his Keyblade and jumped at his former teacher. But just then, a wave of cold air surged down Sonic's spine. It could only belong to Dark Sonic. And he was right. The evil copy emerged from the floor and kicked Sonic in the stomach, throwing him into the computer. Silver walked calmly next to Espio; Storm and the others did nothing to stop him, still in shock.

"Good bye, Sonic." Espio said. A second later, they disappeared in a flash of light.

"Espio! Silver!" Sonic cried, just before being kicked in the face by his dark copy. He was thrown at Storm, who just now realized what was going on, and landed hard on the jeweled floor.

"You all right." Angel asked.

"I'm fine." Sonic groaned as he stood. "Man, this guy is really starting to annoy me."

"We couldn't take him on one-on-one." Storm reminded. "So let's attack him together."

"There's a plan if I ever heard one." Sonic said, raising his Keyblade.

"Teamwork?" Dark Sonic cackled. "You plan to defeat me with teamwork. You fool are even more idiotic then I imagined."

Sonic felt a great surge of rage towards his dark half when he suddenly curled into a ball. Sonic once again, unknowingly, performed his Spin Dash attack and launched himself at Dark Sonic. The dark clone was not expecting this, but moved out of the way just in time to avoid any damage. When he uncurled, Sonic finally figured out the secret to the Spin Dash. It was emotion. To make sure, Sonic thought of a happy memories; a memory of him and Espio, laughing together. Just as he thought, Sonic curled into a ball and thrust himself at his dark copy, this time scarring his leg.

"Yahoo!" Sonic cheered as he bounded along the walls. "Now this is what I'm talking about!"

"He's learned how to perform that attack." Dark Sonic stated in shock. "But if he did that, then..."

But Dark Sonic never finished. While he was distracted by Sonic's pinball display, Angel used her antennas to lift him off the ground. Dark Sonic was chucked clear across the room, where his face made contact with Storm's fist. Dark Sonic recovered in midair and held his hand to Storm; an orb of dark energy forming in his hands. But at the moment, Storm pointed to the ceiling, causing the evil to look up. Sonic whizzed at his copy and Spin Dashed through his chest. Sonic uncurled, a victorious grin across his face, and watched Dark Sonic as he disappeared into the floor.

"Oh, yeah! Who's the man?!" Sonic cheered.

"But you're only fifteen." Storm stated.

"Way to kill the mood, Storm." Sonic said glumly.

But unknown to him, Dark Sonic resurface from the floor, his fist raised. Marine saw this and held her hand out to him. To everyone's surprise, it started to glow. An orb of green light rushed out of Marine's hand, smashing Dark Sonic in the chest and into the wall. Dark Sonic fell limp on the floor, defeated.

"Marine...what did you do?" Storm asked bewildered.

"I'm...not really sure, mate." Marine said awkwardly, scratching her head and staring at her hand.

Dark Sonic tried to get himself up, but he was too weak. Sonic loomed over him and said. "It's over. Time to go back to where you belong."

"Very well. But this won't be the last time we meet." Dark Sonic stated. "I will still exist inside of you, Sonic. Thanks to your friend, I have a spirit of my own. One day, I will return."

The last thing Dark Sonic did was laugh before deforming into a shadow. The shadow moved closer to connect with Sonic's feet, making them whole once more. Sonic touched his chest and found Dark Sonic's words to be true. He could feel a cold dead sensation beating next to his heart. Then cold feeling was leveled by a warm sensation beat next to his heart.

"_Hold up, when have I had three hearts?_" Sonic wondered.

"So, what do we do now, mate?" Marine asked.

"_You _are getting out of here." Sonic said to Marine. "The rest of us are going to look for Whisker to find out where Espio and Silver ran off to."

"But that's not fair!" Marine cried. "I made it this far."

"That was luck." Storm stated. "You nearly died one time. I'm sorry, Marine, but I have to agree with Sonic on this one."

"Angel, say something, mate." Marine begged. But Angel remained silent, not wanting to look Marine in the eye. Seeing as how her 'friends' had turned on her, she began to cry. "So that's how it is then. Fine, I don't need any of you!"

Marine turned and ran out the door, tears flying through the air in her wake. Angel was tempted to go after her, but Storm held her back, shaking his head. Sonic felt a tinge of guilt, but quickly remembered Silver's betrayal and felt a rush of anger. There was door opposite to the one Marine exited; Sonic and his team went through. The Sonic Team found themselves back onto the deck where Sonic where he was reunited with Espio and Amy.

"Look for Whisker?" Angel asked.

"That would be a good idea." Sonic said. "But the question is, where is Whisker?"

"Looking for me?" Everyone turned to the side to find Whisker sneering malevolently. "It took you long enough. I had a little surprise waiting for you."

Whisker snapped his metallic fingers, summoning a hoard of Pirate Heartless with their swords unsheathed. Sonic was about ready to pull out his own weapon when three Air Pirates dropped from the sky and grabbed them from behind. The pirate that grabbed Sonic pinned his arms behind his back. The one that grabbed Angel used her antenna to restrain her. But with Storm's bulk, it took five pirates to pin him down.

"I must say, I am surprised you survived this long." Whisker said eagerly. "I knew Black Doom placed too much faith in Espio. He ran off with the Babylonian mage and that girl without even as much as saying good bye."

"You know where they went?" Sonic asked. "Tell me, where'd they go?"

"You not in a position to be asking questions." Whisker said, reminding them that they are still tied up. "But seeing as how you won't be living much longer, I might as well tell you. They have escaped to the forgotten ruins of Hallow Bastion, where Black Doom now rules.

"Hallow Bastion?" Sonic whispered. He didn't know why, but the name seemed vaguely familiar to him. Then out of nowhere, a memory of three voices entered his mind.

* * *

"Are you sure of this?" A young male voice asked.

"We have no choice." An older male voice stated. "With the war going on, it's not safe for this child. We shall send him to the Islands, where he will be safe."

"If that's what you believe, Zoan." A female voice said.

* * *

Sonic was brought back to reality. He had met Zoan before as a baby, but he didn't remember where. Was it Zoan who sent him to Destiny Islands? And who were the other two in his memory? But he didn't have time to think when he realized where he was. Sonic was standing on the edge of a long plank on the side of the boat, a swarm of heartless waiting across him. Whisker stood behind them with Storm and Angel on the ground beside him. Sonic looked down to see a group of sharks hungry to devour him

"That's new." Sonic said.

"Back to reality, are ye?" Whisker said laughing. "Before I drown ye, I have an offer for ye. Hand over the Keyblade and I'll spare ye and your friends. If not, ye can walk the plank. Be glad I'm merciful, unlike the heartless."

"Don't do it, Sonic!" Storm screamed. "Forget about us!"

"Nagga, Sonic!" Angel yelled.

Sonic was torn. If he surrendered the Keyblade, he would be saving his friends at the expense of dooming the worlds to eternal darkness. But if he didn't, he would be losing the only friends he had left. He looked from Whisker, to Storm and Angel, and to the sharks. Just when things seemed hopeless, a voice ringed inside his head.

"_You can do anything as long as you believe." Marine said._

He did believe. He believed in his friends, in himself, and in Silver. Sonic closed his eyes and fell back towards the sharks. Storm and Angel cried out while Whisker laughed joyously. The came close to the sharks when suddenly, the Phoenix Blade appeared in his hand; its keychain glowing. The sharks jumped up to snap at him when Sonic started flying up to the sky.

"He can fly?!" Angel and Storm exclaimed.

"He can fly?" Whisker questioned.

"I can fly!" Sonic cheered. "Finally, I'm getting my turn. And all I had to do was believe."

"Told ya, mate!" A voice called from above. "Bonza!"

At that moment, Marine came swinging in on a rope, yanking Whisker's mustache as she passed by. She landed on the mast, waving Whisker's mustache like a trophy, as Sonic floated up to her.

"Marine, you're back." Sonic said pleasingly.

"Of course, mate." Marine said. "You didn't think I'd leave you alone, did ya?"

"Marine, thank you." Sonic said smiling. "It's because of you I was able to believe in myself."

"No prob, mate." Marine said. "Now let's show them what we can do!"

Sonic nodded and charged head forward into battle. Marine roped down to the ground, kicking a group of Air Pirates out of the way. Taking advantage of his flight ability, Sonic sliced across a wave of Pirate Heartless when diving down. While Marine kept Whisker busy by waving his mustache around, Sonic cut his friends ropes.

"Finally, time to smash some skulls!" Storm roared.

"Attaka!" Angel followed.

Storm grasped two pirates by the head and smashed them together. A pair tried to ambush him from behind, but Angel jumped in and whipped her antenna around to entrap them. Angel held them up to Storm, where he punched them into oblivion. Angel jumped over Storm's head to kick away another heartless that was attacking from the back. Meanwhile, Sonic was hovering in the air surrounded by seven Air Pirates in a circle. Three swooped down to attack from the sides, but Sonic dropped down slight and watched them smack into each other. He flew up again, cutting them down the middle, and dived towards the next. The Air Pirate threw a punch, but Sonic ducked to the side and cut it around the middle. He started to turn back when another Air Pirate swooped down and drove his fist to the side of his face. Sonic was thrown to the floor where he, Storm, and Angel were surrounded by an endless swarm of heartless pirates.

"Got any ideas?" Storm asked nervously.

"Yeah, but I'm not going to like it." Sonic sighed. He reached back and pulled out a grey summoning gem. "Midna, we need you!"

Sonic tossed the stone into the air and it erupted in a burst of light. Storm and Angel's essence was sucked into the stone and replaced by the shadow imp, Midna. As expected, the first thing Midna did was squeeze the life out of him.

Oh, I just knew you would call!" Midna screamed excitedly. "Where are we going for our date? The forest? The beach? The moon?"

"There won't be a date if they kill me!" Sonic screamed, pointing towards the heartless.

The heartless stepped forward bravely, but recoiled when Midna screamed. "Nobody touches my man!"

Like Sonic had hoped, Midna summoned up a dark, shady hand from the top of her head. The hand closed itself into a fist and slammed down on the pirates. A majority was crushed, but a few moved away just in time. The hand separated into two, flinging the pirates overboard with the hungry sharks. When all was done, Midna returned to hugging Sonic until he turned purple.

"So where are you taking me?" Midna asked hopefully.

"Nowhere, later." Sonic told her. At that moment, Midna disappeared and was replaced by Storm and Angel. Unfortunately, they assumed the same position as Midna previously. "Ok, we got to do something about this."

The three separated, shuddering slightly. Then, Marine flopped down in front of them; they quickly helped her back to her feet. Their attention was turned to Whisker; his mustache returned. He was so furious for having his mustache taken that steam was literally blowing out of his ears.

"Ye meddlesome fools have got in me way long enough." Whisker roared, shaking his fist wildly. "Time for Ol Captain Whisker to show you what real power looks like!"

"We'll believe that when we see it, old timer." Sonic mocked laughing.

"Sonic..." Storm hissed. "Let's not make fun of the big robot guy."

"Bring it, you old codfish!" Marine shouted. Storm smacked himself.

"Why do I even try." Storm groaned.

"Tooka be." Angel shrugged.

The steam in Whisker's head turned to a smokestack. The robot pirate captain held his hand to the group and shot his fist from his wrist. Sonic took to the skies while the others dropped to the deck. Sonic stopped for a moment then dived at Whisker. But then, his flying fist came out of nowhere and bashed him in the head. Sonic dropped to the deck as Whisker recalled his hand to his wrist. Angel and Marine ran forward, even though they knew they had absolutely no chance. Whisker raised his fist again when the females jumped away. Storm followed up from behind them and gripped Whisker's arm, ripping it from its socket. Whisker cried out before retaliating by punching Storm with his other fist.

"Ye mangy cur!" Whisker yelled angrily. "Now ye've mad me really mad!"

Whisker threw back his head and shot it forward to eject a jet of flame from his mouth. Storm, being the closest, was hit full blast by the jet while Angel was hit in her leg. Storm crumpled back onto the deck faint, though still alive, and Angel curled around her leg. Marine acted recklessly by swinging her fists at Whisker, only hurting her hands against his metal chest. Whisker flicked his finger and sent Marine tumbling back. Sonic finally regained consciousness to find his friends lying on the ground.

"Storm! Angel!" Sonic cried.

"Now do ye realize what ye are up against?" Whisker chuckled. "Now hand over the Keyblade and I'll spare ye."

"Forget it!" Sonic shouted. "My friends worked hard to stop you. I'm not going to let their efforts be in vein."

"Then face ye doom." Whisker threatened.

Whisker shot his head back again and used his fire breath again. Sonic took to the air again, narrowly avoiding the flames. Whisker motioned his head around to force the flames to follow its target. Up, left, down, and right; Sonic was circling the entire ship, but was unable to shake off the flames. The fire circled him like a serpent. To avoid being devoured by the flames, Sonic completely dispelled the flight ability and dropped down onto the deck. Sonic figured there was only one available option, even though he did it once. Sonic held his hands to the ocean and gleefully forged a stream of water that landed in Whisker's mouth; the fire hissed to a stop. Unfortunately, the combination of both attacks formed into steam that covered the entire deck. When the steam cleared, Sonic was being raised into the air with Whisker's hand around his throat.

"I warned ye, didn't I?" Whisker chuckled. "Ye should have obeyed me the first time. Now ye die."

"I'm – not – done – yet." Sonic gasped; he swung his legs wildly at Whisker.

"Give it up, ye are finished." Whisker stated.

"Don't worry, mate." Marine said; standing ready to fight. "I'll save you."

"Ye?" Whisker questioned before laughing. "What could a scrawny, useless, pathetic trash digger like ye possibly do?"

Whisker was laughing his circuits off, but Marine didn't seem to feel the same. Not knowing why, Marine unconsciously held her palm open towards Whisker. An orb of green light from her hand and shot at Whisker's chest. The attack forced him to let go of Sonic and thrust him overboard. The next thing Whisker knew, he was swimming for his life away from a crowd of hungry sharks.

"Marine, that was amazing." Sonic said impressed.

"Ya know, I think I'm starting to get the hang of it." Marine giggled.

Sonic kneeled to Storm and Angel and used the same healing powers he used to save Marine. Storm's feathers returned to their normal grey and Angel's leg was mended again. Marine handed Sonic a piece of paper that Whisker dropped when he was blast off. It was another report from Mephiles; this one actually proving that he met The King and had knowledge of the Keyblade. But Sonic didn't care about that. Sonic rested against the edge of the ship, looking sorrowfully into the waters below. He lost everything; Espio, Amy, and now Silver. What scared him most was learning that Amy's heart was taken.

"_She's not gone._" A voice said.

"What'd ya say?" Sonic looked over his shoulder.

"We didn't say anything." Storm replied.

"_It was me, Dark Sonic._" Dark Sonic said mentally. "_I am connecting to your mind._"

"_What do you mean she's not gone?_" Sonic mentally asked. _"I saw her._"

"_She is not gone._" Dark Sonic stated. "_On the contrary, she's actually much closer then you think._"

"Sonic, are you going to be ok?" Storm asked.

"Actually, I'm more then ok." Sonic smiled. "I can't wait to tell Amy everything that happened. And I can't wait to tell Silver about how I used that water magic."

"But silver is..."

"No! I refuse to believe Silver is evil!" Sonic exclaimed. "He's not like that. You should know that."

Storm seemed somewhat doubtful, but still managed a believable smile. Suddenly the Keyblade appeared in Sonic's hand. Everyone looked out to the sea where a giant keyhole formed atop the water surface. Sonic held out the Keyblade and shot a beam of light into the water. A loud clicking sound was made and the keyhole vanished.

"So, where's the next adventure, mate?" Marine asked.

"I'm sorry, Marine." Sonic said. "But we can't bring you. We would be meddling."

"Not really." Storm interjected. "Since Marine is originally from Babylon Garden, she doesn't belong in this world. She can go wherever she wants."

"I don't know." Sonic said uncertainly. To his surprise, Marine, Angel, even Storm was using puppy dog eyes to convince him." All right! She can come!"

The trio cheered; even Sonic couldn't help but feel happy. Marine may not be able to fill the gap that Silver left them, but it was still nice to see a new face.

* * *

Meanwhile, Espio and Silver had returned to Hollow Bastion, standing before Black Doom. Espio was on the ground, clutching his chest and panting. Silver seemed unnerving while Black Doom looked disappointed.

"You were very reckless with your power, Espio." Black Doom said. "Relying on the darkness will cost you your heart."

"I'm...I'm fine." Espio panted.

"But you have redeemed yourself by bringing the mage to me." Black Doom said; his three eyes gazing at Silver. "I do not know much about the princess's powers, but you surely must. You were trained by the greatest mystic in existence."

"I do know." Silver smirked. "It's true that the princesses are necessary, but they are only the vassals to the true keys of the final keyhole."

"And what are these keys?" Black Doom asked.

"They are called the chaos emeralds." Silver answered. Suddenly, his eyes widened and turned his head down the hall. "We have an intruder. One that possess a strange energy."

"What energy?" Espio asked.

"I remember it, it's called chakra." Silver explained.

"So a ninja has followed us here." Black Doom said amusingly. "He forced his way through sheer will alone. But even so, he is no match for the power that Espio possesses."

"Power?" Espio questioned.

"The Power that has been locked away in your heart." Black Doom said. "Now allow me to unlock it and unleash your full potential."

Black Doom held his hand to Espio. Espio's body was engulfed in an eerie green aura, but he felt stronger, like he could handle any challenge that came his way. Hoping to test his power, Espio walked down the hall to go up against the intruder when Silver stopped him.

"Be warned. This chakra is not the normal kind." Silver stated.

"Then what kind is it?" Espio asked irritably.

"It's demon chakra." Silver said.

At waterfall outside the castle, a young boy was kneeling on the ground, panting. A red aura wove around him before it disappeared. Grunting lightly, he stood up to take in a great look at the castle nearby.

"S-Sakura." The boy whispered.

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	27. Showdown at the Siayan Cup

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

**I was fortunate to come across inspiartion and able to continue much earlier than intended. Thanks to those who were supportive of this story.**

Chapter Twenty-Six: Showdown at the Saiyan Cup

Twenty minutes after the defeat of Whisker and the sealing of the keyhole, Sonic and his friends were already making arrangements for the reorganization of their team. With Marine joining and Silver gone; he took his Psychic Wave Gear with him, they didn't know anyway of allowing Marine to join them.

"We're short one Gear." Sonic stated. "And we can't carry her on ours."

"No worries, mate!" Marine said enthusiastically "I'm way ahead of ya."

Marine reached behind her back and, to their untold surprise, pulled a bright Gear out of thin air. It was a medium board gear painted bright orange on the sides with a green landing in the center. On the underside, a symbol shaped like a genies lamp circles by commas was tattooed: The symbol of Babylon Garden.

"Whoa! Awesome Gear!" Storm exclaimed in awe.

"Thanks, mate." Marine said happily. "It belonged to me mum. It's called the S.S. Marine."

"That's...nice." Sonic said awkwardly, wondering who in their right mind would give it a name like that.

"Where go now?" Angel asked; her English was nearly perfect in Sonic's opinion.

"She does have a point, where do we go?" Storm shrugged. "Without Silver to navigate us, we can't travel to any new worlds."

Storm had just brought up a terrible dilemma. Silver was the only one in the group who knew about the other worlds, having traveled with the king. Sure they knew how to get back to the previous worlds, but what good would that do? The heartless had already cleared out of the worlds with the sealed keyholes, but there were millions spread throughout the galaxy.

"Alright, we should probably head back to Traverse Town." Sonic suggested. "Maybe we could ask Metal if he knows his way around the galaxy."

"Sound's like a plan." Storm said.

"Ih." Angel nodded.

"Then what are we waiting for, mates?" Marine said; picking up her Gear and running in a random direction. "Let's go!"

"Marine, Traverse Town is the other way!" Storm screamed.

Sonic sweat dropped as Storm and Angel chased the eccentric raccoon across the deck. Hopefully, he didn't make a mistake letting her join. After what seemed like hours, they finally pointed Marine in the right direction and departed from Whisker's ship into the vastness of space. Sonic knew it would take an hour to reach Traverse Town and decided to kick back. Marine was telling Storm and Angel about her epic adventures; Sonic predicted they were a little over exaggerated. But one thing still bugged Sonic; the memory he had about Zoan. He heard Zoan as a baby along with two other voices. Metal and Tikal acted like they knew Zoan; maybe it was them. But then again, neither of them sounded like a robot.

"Then I wrangled the kraken by his tentacles and forced him back into the sea." Marine said, bringing Sonic back to reality.

Marine was telling the story of how she single-handedly defeated Davy Jones and his pet kraken. Sonic shook his amusingly.

"_You'd have to be an idiot to fall for that junk._" Sonic thought.

"Wow, you are amazing, Marine." Storm said; Sonic smacked himself in the face. "Then what happened?"

"Ih, more." Angel said eagerly.

"After I got rid of the kraken, it was just me and Jones." Marine continued. "He reached down to grab for his blade when – what's that beeping, mate?"

It was when Marine pointed it out that the team realized a loud beeping sound was coming from somewhere close by. Following the trail of annoying beeps, Sonic looked at the underside of his Blue Star and found something taped to it. It was Silver's communicator. He wondered how Silver could leave something such as this behind, but didn't bother speaking it. he pulled out the communicator a turned it on; Vector and Charmy came on screen.

"Hey, you're Sonic, right?" Vector asked.

"Yeah." Sonic replied.

"What happened to Silver?" Vector asked. "Blaze is getting really worried about him."

Sonic winced slightly. From all the stories Silver told him, Sonic knew Blaze was his girlfriend. Sonic was panicking; what could he say? That Silver was a villain bent on universal conquest? That was defiantly not an option. At this point, there was only one option remaining: lie.

"He's uh...taking a rest." Sonic said apprehensively. "He really tired from our battle just now."

"That's good. Blaze was beginning to think something bad happened." Charmy said. They had no idea how right she was. "By the way, we called you guys to tell you that the Saiyan Cup is now up."

"The Saiyan Cup?" Marine asked, looking over Sonic's shoulders.

"Who's the little girl?" Vector asked. Bad idea.

"Little girl!" Marine screeched. "Who are you calling a little girl?! I am Captain Marine Aqua the Raccoon, the greatest explorer in the four corners of the galaxy!

"The galaxy has thirteen corners." Charmy stated. Marine glared at him, making the bee shudder. "Never mind."

"That's enough, Marine." Sonic waved away. Marine sat on her Gear grumpily. "All right, we'll set a course for Budokai right away."

"Good luck, Sonic!" Charmy cheered with pom-poms. Don't ask.

"I heard the competition in this tournament is almost as fierce as the Dragon Cup." Vector informed. "We need our Keyblade Master, so do us a favor: try not to die."

"Thanks for the support." Sonic said sarcastically.

Sonic shut off the communicator and informed Storm and Angel to change directions. It took five minutes to help out Marine. Being closer, Budokai was only a half-hour away. Sonic slept away while Storm and Angel were indulged in Marine's tale of the magic wind fish and something called nargles. A while later, Sonic was waken by Marine; she screamed in his ear, and saw the familiar grey coliseum of Budokai.

* * *

The team landed and set their Gear in a safe place before making their way to the coliseum.

"Whoa! This place is big!" Marine exclaimed joyously.

"And noisy." Sonic said, covering his ears. "What's going on around here?"

Budokai was more crowded then it usually was when they visited. Street shops were pooping up left and right, banners were being waved in random places, and over a hundred different species from other worlds were crowding up the street. Once or twice, Sonic could have sworn he saw a living plant creature, a speeding dinosaur, or a being made of crystals.

"What is with all these guys?" Sonic asked.

"I haven't seen this many interspecies come together since the war fifteen years ago." Storm said.

"Why they here?" Angel asked.

"Maybe it has something to do with this." Marine said.

Marine bent down to pick up a flyer that was lying on the ground and handed it to Sonic. The flyer had a full blown picture of Goku, Chaos, and Sonic all facing each other surrounded by smaller faceless figures. It was an advertisement to reserve tickets for the upcoming Saiyan Cup featuring the legendary saiyan Goku, the widely known guardian Chaos, and the Keyblade Master Sonic.

"Boy, news sure travels fast." Sonic said impressed.

"We should go see Master Roshi about this." Storm suggested.

Sonic and Angel silently agreed while Marine somehow got into trouble for stealing fish sticks from a land shark. The team spent most of their time apologizing for Marine's actions before making their way through the coliseum doors. As expected, they found Goku standing in the lobby. But what they didn't expect was for Chaos to be with them.

"Cool! Freaky water guy!" Marine exclaimed.

"What was that?!" Chaos flared.

"Nothing, nothing." Sonic said nervously, clamping Marine's mouth shut.

"What you here, Chaos?" Angel asked.

"Haven't you heard?" Chaos said. "I'm entering the Saiyan Cup as well."

"But I thought you already had a spot in the Dragon Cup." Sonic pointed.

"I do." Chaos nodded. "But I just decided to do this for fun. Especially if I get to go up against Goku."

"You're fighting too, Goku?" Storm asked.

"Yeah, wouldn't miss it for the world." Goku said eagerly. "I hope I get to go against both of you."

"Same here." Sonic said.

Sonic and Goku exchanged excited glance at each other; Chaos was leaning against the wall, looking amused. Just then, the old turtle hermit, Master Roshi, walked in on them.

"Ah, Sonic, I was hoping of see you here." Roshi said happily. "Now we can get this tournament really started. Follow me, boys."

Roshi walked back down the corridor he came from towards the arena, followed shortly by Sonic, Goku, and Chaos. Sonic looked nervous before entering, but the look of confidence on his friends faces were more then enough to still him.

"I'm hungry." Marine said randomly.

**

* * *

**

--Sonic vs. Yamcha--

Sonic stepped into the ring, his Phoenix Blade in hand, for the first match of the Saiyan Cup. His opponent, Yamcha, was a middle-aged man with rugged hair and a couple of scars on his face. He wore a red gi similar to the one Goku wore. Sonic looked out to the audience where he was his team waving at him; Sonic waved back.

"Don't get too comfortable." Yamcha forewarned, moving into a fighters stance. "When Yamcha's on the prowl, there's nowhere you can hide."

"There isn't a place to hide anyway." Sonic stated.

"Aw, shut up!" Yamcha exclaimed.

"Let the first match of the Saiyan Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

Yamcha charged forward with his palm held forward. Sonic jumped back slightly as Yamcha swing his fist around followed by a roundhouse kick. Sonic dropped down to the ground and slid between Yamcha's legs and kicked around to push him towards the edge. Yamcha scrambled to keep himself inside the ring, but accidentally tripped backwards, which was considered lucky as Sonic swung his Keyblade the same moment he fell. Seeing an opening, Yamcha swung his foot around, which made contact with Sonic's face. Sonic staggered back for a moment as Yamcha set himself up for a big attack.

"WOLF FANG FIST!!"

Yamcha's fists moved like lightening as the collided with Sonic's body in a blizzard of punches. The final punch lands Sonic close to the edge of the ring; he appeared to be unconscious. As Roshi began the countdown, Yamcha moved in close to Sonic's body with a superior grin on his face.

"A wolf always gets its prey." Yamcha gloated.

"There's a first time for everything."

Yamcha stared down in shock when Sonic's body suddenly curled and span rapidly in place. Sonic shot straight up with his Spin Dash attack and slammed into Yamcha's chin. Yamcha grabbed his mouth in pain as blood started to slip between his fingers. The Sonic ball bound around the ring in random directions before turning fast towards Yamcha. Sonic's speed was so great that Yamcha had no chance to defend and was nailed it the chest. The force of the attack knocked Yamcha out of the ring and left him indented in the coliseum wall. Sonic curled with a victory pose.

"A winner by a knock out is Sonic!" Roshi announced.

The crowd roared in approval. Sonic could make out hi friends in the audience; all of them seemed proud of him.

**

* * *

**

--Chaos vs. Tien--

Chaos graciously walked into the ring to prepare for the next match. His opponent was bald man with three eyes and a scar on the right side of his chest. He wore green pants and sash that covered the left side of his body held by a red belt. The three-eyed man appeared to be meditating while waiting for the start of the match. Chaos looked out to the crowd where Sonic was cheering him on. It was a nice feeling to have a friend encouraging him.

"He a friend of yours?" Tien asked, breaking from his trance.

Yes." Chaos said proudly. "Yes, he is."

"Then let's give him a good match." Tien said, moving to a fighting position. "After all, one of us is going to fight him."

"Too true." Chaos said. "May the better warrior win."

"Let the second match of the Saiyan cup begin!" Roshi announced.

Tien and Chaos ran in forward and met each other in the center of the ring. Tien threw a left punch, but Chaos ducked down and rebound with a swinging crescent kick. Tien caught him in the act and lifted his leg to block. Tien raised his arm and swung his elbow down at Chaos leg, but the water guardian had already jumped back.

"Not bad." Chaos complimented.

"You too." Tien returned. "Time to amp things up."

Not to anyone's surprise; everyone had already seen it before, Tien lifted up off the ground into the air. He was about twenty feet into the air when he placed his hands forward in the shape of a triangle. Tien closed his two main eyes while his third eye focused through the triangle, zoned in on Chaos. A light wave of energy began to form around his body; everyone stared with interest.

"What is that?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, but I think I've seen it before." Storm said.

A yellow beam of light started to form between Tien's hands. The resonating amount of energy seemed to be putting a strain on Tien's body as veins started to form on his arms and forehead. But Chaos looked bored rather then concerned.

"TRI-BEA-!"

"CHAOS CONTROL!" Chaos called out.

Before Tien could finish his sentence, Chaos disappeared and reappeared above Tien. Tien, caught by surprise, unwillingly diminished his attack. Chaos swung around in midair and slammed his heel at the top of Tien's bald head. Tien's third eye suffered the most as started bleeding, which left Tien uncoordinated. Tien landed on the ground outside the ring shortly followed by Chaos.

"Winner by ring out is Chaos!" Roshi announced.

"Good match, my friend." Chaos said as he offered his claw.

"Good match." Tien grinned as he took it.

**

* * *

**

--Goku vs. Chiaotzu--

Now it was Goku's turn to step into the ring. His opponent was not what you would expect from a tournament such as this. The one called Chiaotzu looked more like a doll then a fighter. His skin was white, his cheeks red, and he barely reach to Goku's knee caps. He wore a simple training outfit along with a black cap.

"Hey, Chiaotzu, how's it going?" Goku said cheerily.

"H-hello, Goku." Chiaotzu said nervously.

"Hey, don't get so worked up, buddy." Goku said. "No matter what happens, we both gave it our best."

"O-ok." Chiaotzu said more confidently.

"Let the third match of the Saiyan Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

"DODON RAY!" Chiaotzu yelled.

Barely a second after the match started, Chiaotzu held out his arm and pointed his index finger, which ejected a thin beam of energy from the tip. Goku barely ducked down in time as the thin beam passed over his head.

Whoa, almost had there!" Goku laughed. Suddenly, Goku could smell a tiny hint of smoke. "What's cooking?"

"That would be you hair." Chiaotzu said, pointing at the mound of hair that had caught fire.

"AHH!! Put it out!" Goku screamed. "Don't just stand there! Do something!"

The crowd was laughing their guts out while Goku was dragging his head in the ground. Even Sonic and Storm could barely stay in their seats with all their laughter. Chiaotzu stood their innocently as if he had nothing to do with it. Finally, Goku managed to extinguish the flames on his head, leaving his hair a mess, but no one knew the difference. Goku went on the offense and rushed at Chiaotzu, swinging his fist around. But the mini fighter levitated in the air like Tien in the previous match. The audience soon discovered Chiaotzu could not only fly, but was also psychic as he pelted Goku with random objects from the audience.

"Whoa, I bet he'd give Silver a run for his money." Storm said in awe.

"Uh, mate?" Marine poked at Storm's shoulder.

Storm turned to Marine, who pointed to the seat next to her where Sonic was lying in a fetal position. Apparently, Sonic was not over Silver's betrayal as everyone thought he was.

"Whoop." Storm said embarrassingly.

Goku suddenly grew a red aura around his body and zoomed up to Chiaotzu at lightning speed. Goku nailed Chiaotzu in the stomach with his elbow, which promptly knocked him out. Goku caught him before he fell and landed back in the arena for Roshi to make the call.

"Winner by a knock out is Goku!"

**

* * *

**

--Violet vs. Spopovitch--

The next match started out with two characters Sonic had never seen before. The one called Spopovitch was a massive human with throbbing muscles and veins that looked like they would explode any second. The second one known as Violet was considerably smaller then her opponent. The surprising thing was that she looked exactly like Chaos, only with a shade of violet like her name.

"She looks like that water guy." Marine said bluntly.

"Do you think they're related?" Sonic asked.

"Maybe." Angel shrugged.

Meanwhile, Chaos was leaning against the wall towards the entrance watching the match. His gaze was glaring at Violet's confident figure.

"_After all these years, I am not letting you slip by this time._" Chaos thought.

"I'm gonna crush you like a grape!" Spopovich yelled arrogantly, which Violet seemingly ignored. "Hey, you listen when I'm talking to you! For that I'm gonna crush you twice as hard!"

"You arrogance is only surpassed only your ignorance." Violet stated.

"You little...!" Spopvitch seethed.

"Let the next match of the Saiyan Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

Spopvitch wasted no time executing an attack. He brought both his arms up and stampeded towards Violet like a raging bull. Violet remained calm and held her hand to him. Suddenly, her arm unexpectedly stretched out and caught Spopovitch around the neck. With surprising strength, Spopovitch was lifted up off the ground; the massive brute kicking and flailing. Spopovitch hung suspended in midair for two minutes before he stopped moving completely. Violet dropped Spopovitch's dead body, leaving the crowd stunned in silence.

"Well, um..." Roshi said uncomfortably. "The winner by a...death...is Violet."

There was no applause, there was no cheer, only the shock of witnessing the match. Violet did not seem to show any concern of the Audience approval of her methods as she walked out of the arena. She walked into the tunnel of the entrance, stopping only a few feet short of Chaos as she passed him.

"Still as sadistic as ever, Violet." Chaos said.

"I must say it was an unexpected surprise to find you here, Chaos." Violet said malevolently. "Tell me, how is Aero and the others?"

"Better, now that I'll be able to avenge them!" Chaos said furiously.

"Well, you'll have to wait a little while longer." Violet stated.

And with that, both Chaos and Violet disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

Later, Sonic and his team met up with Goku in the lobby. Sonic was tapping his foot impatiently; his match with Chaos was taking too long. But Goku, on the other hand, seemed to be pumped more than anything. He was punching at the air as if he was facing off against some invisible opponent. Apparently, Goku was not disturbed by Violet's earlier murder.

"You worried?" Angel asked Goku.

"No way!" Goku exclaimed. "My match is going to be extra hard, which is exactly how I like em."

"But she's a killer." Storm stated.

"I faced a lot of killers before." Goku explained. "The thing to remember is that victory can be achieved as long as you believe in yourself."

"That sounds like something Marine would say." Storm said.

"But she does make a good point." Sonic said admirably "If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't even be here."

"Thanks, mate." Marine said embarrassingly.

Just then, Master Roshi ran in, wheezing, holding two notes in his hands.

"Hey, Master Roshi, what's up?" Goku asked.

"Chaos...Violet...withdraw." Roshi panted.

"What?!" The group exclaimed.

"You heard right, Chaos and Violet withdrew from the Saiyan Cup." Roshi explained. "They said they would be back to finish things in the Dragon Cup. So without either of you opponents present, we will be starting the final match right away."

"All right, this is what I've been waiting for!" Sonic cheered.

"All right, Sonic, it's just you and me." Goku smiled. "Let give it our all and no holding back."

"Funny, I was just going to say the same thing." Sonic grinned.

* * *

**--Goku vs. Sonic--**

The crowd was already on the edge of their seats by the time Goku and Sonic walked out to the ring. They were a little disappointed they didn't get to see another match against Chaos, but a battle between the two greatest warriors was good enough to make up for it. Sonic gazed out to the crowd where he saw his team in the front row waving pom-poms and wearing cheerleader outfits. Sonic threw up in his mouth when he saw Storm. Goku was stretching as Roshi walked out to the center of the arena.

"Ladies, Gentlemen, and aliens of all species!" Roshi shouted into the microphone. "It's time for the match we've all been waiting for! Goku, the reigning champion, vs. Sonic, the Keyblade Master!" The crowd roared. "Both have come far, but only one will make it to the Dragon Cup!"

"Good luck, Sonic." Goku said.

"Back at you." Sonic replied.

"Let the final match of the Saiyan Cup begin!" Roshi shouted.

Sonic and Goku jumped at the first second. Goku threw a punch at Sonic, who retaliated with a kick. But Goku's fist was stronger then Sonic's foot and was sent flying near the edge of the arena. Sonic scurried away when Goku dived in with another punch that made an indent in the arena. Sonic his leg up and swung around to trip Goku behind his legs, but the energetic warrior was way too advanced to fall for such a trick. Goku flipped backwards to land on his feet just when Sonic started fumbling his quills in search for a keychain that would help. But at that moment, Goku threw an orb of energy from his palms directly at Sonic. The blue hedgehog panicked for a moment, but luckily, the Keyblade was summoned to his defense at the last second. Sonic sliced the orb in half, which blew up behind him. Goku formed a barrage of energy orbs, but all met the same fate as the first.

"Not bad." Goku complimented.

"I learned from the best." Sonic grinned.

"All right then, let's take it up a notch." Goku said; he cupped his hands to the side to form a blue sphere of energy. "KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!"

Goku thrust his hands forward, expelling a mass stream of blue energy. Sonic seemed frozen, having never witnessed an attack so powerful. Sonic was a sitting duck when he suddenly felt something tug at his arm. The arm that held the Keyblade started acting on its own accord and held itself against Goku's attack. Goku's attack made full contact with the Keyblade and, to everyone's amazement, the attack was cut in half. When the attack faded, Sonic gazed down at his arm; he was sure he saw a blue aura surrounding it.

"Whoa, I didn't see that coming!" Goku said amazingly.

"Me neither." Sonic said uncertainly.

"Well, I didn't think you could actually beat that one." Goku said scratching his head. "Look's like I'll have to do better."

"Hold up! There's more!?" Sonic screamed.

"Yeah, just wait until you see this." Goku said.

Goku levitated into the air until he was twenty feet high. He raised his fist up, which suddenly started to gain a golden aura around it. Goku, having gathered the energy he needed, rushed forward with his fist shouting.

"DRAGON FIST!"

An explosion formed around Goku, who was replaced by a gigantic golden serpentine dragon. Sonic curled into a ball and use his Spin Dash technique in hopes of defeating the dragon. Sonic felt like an idiot when his attack rebounded off the dragon's forehead and was now lying facedown on the arena floor. The dragon whirled around for another attack as Sonic stood back up.

"_What do I do now? I don't stand a chance against him_." Sonic thought hopelessly. _"Silver, what do I do?_"

"_Trust yourself and let you heart guide you._"

"_Silver?_" Sonic gasped.

He didn't know why, but Sonic compelled to hold his hand out and force all his energy into it. To his amazement, the wind around him began pressurizing in his palm and formed into a blue sphere of energy.

"Itchiba!" Angel exclaimed.

"What's that, mate?" Marine asked.

"I don't know." Storm said in awe. "I think Sonic just created a new technique."

The golden dragon round itself towards Sonic and held its jaws out to him. With renewed confidence, Sonic pushed himself off the ground and lunged head forward into the dragon's mouth to face Goku directly. Sonic attack collided with Goku's fist as he shouted.

"SONIC WIND!"

The golden dragon roared before it exploded in a display of lights. Sonic and Goku, both sustaining heavy injuries, fell back toward the ground and slammed into it with heavy force. A cloud of dust formed around the entire area; no one knew what was happening. Sonic's Team, Roshi, and the entire audience leaned forward as the cloud of dust started to fade. Sonic landed in the center of the arena, but Goku landed outside.

"It's over!" Roshi screamed. "A winner by a ring out is our new champion, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

The crowd burst in an explosion of cheers, Marine and Angel started waving their pom-pom's while Storm was crying for joy. Sonic groaned lightly as he sat up; he quickly registered what happened. He won! He defeated Goku and was headed for the Dragon Cup! Sonic could feel himself being lifted off the ground by the crowd and being carried over to Goku and Roshi, who was holding a golden cup. The crowd set Sonic down, Roshi handed Sonic the cup, and Sonic turned to the crowd.

"I'm the champ!" Sonic shouted.

* * *

Later, the heroes met with Goku and Roshi in the lobby. Sonic received a keychain shaped like an orange ball with a red star. He switch keychains and transformed. The Keyblade was green with dragon's wings around the handle, scales along the blade, and a set of teeth at the end. Sonic called it the Dragon Blade.

"That was awesome!" Goku cheered. "I wasn't even holding back!"

"I think I finally understand what you meant Master Roshi." Sonic said. "About how to be a true hero."

"Come again?" Roshi asked.

"It the strength of your heart." Sonic explained. "And my strength comes from my friends. Storm, Angel, Marine, Amy, even Espio and Silver. As long as I have something to fight for, I will truly become strong."

"_I didn't think anyone could grasp that concept so quickly._" Roshi said. "_He truly is an extraordinary boy._"

Suddenly, the Dragon Blade appeared into Sonic's hands. The pedestal that had been in the lobby since their first visit vanished and was replaced by a keyhole. Sonic held his new Keyblade to it, which shot a beam of light and locked it forever.

"What was that?" Goku asked curiously.

"Long story." Sonic waved.

"hey, Sonic, we should head back to Traverse Town and see Metal." Storm reminded.

"Yeah, let's go." Sonic nodded.

But while they exited through the door, Roshi turned to Goku.

"You were lying," Roshi stated." You were much stronger than that."

"I know that, but he doesn't." Goku smiled. "But I have a feeling one day, he'll be even stronger than me."

And thus, the four left the crowded world of Budokai with a roar of cheers at their departure. Unknown to them, a shadowed figure had been watching the entire event from the top of the coliseum.

"I'm proud of you, Sonic."

* * *

**Please, read and review.**


	28. Chao for Now, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Seven: Chao for now, Part 1

Sonic and his team were heading back to Traverse Town after their grand victory in the Saiyan Cup. Sonic practiced his new technique, which he dubbed Sonic Wind, and was amazed that he could perform it easier than any other technique he ever learned.

"How did you even do that anyway, mate." Marine asked curiously.

"I don't know." Sonic said honestly. "I just heard a voice inside my head and then I did it."

"What it sound like?" Angel asked.

"You'll just think I'm crazy." Sonic said embarrassingly. "But it actually sounded like..."

"We're here!" Storm announced.

The team looked over and saw the fluorescent lights of Traverse Town. As the crew dived down, Sonic thought it would be best if he dropped the conversation. But Sonic was sure it wasn't his imagination. He knew the voice belonged to his teacher. They touched down outside the gate and set their Gears to the wall and walked through. The town was still under going repairs from the time when the black coat figure attacked, but it was coming along quite nicely. Amongst the town folk, Cream waved and ran up to them.

"Hey, Sonic, I just saw you on the news." Cream said. "Congratulations on winning the cup."

"That was on the news?" Sonic asked. "All right, I'm famous!"

"You already are." Storm pointed.

"I know, but now everyone knows." Sonic stated. "Looks like the town's coming along fine."

"Everyone has been pitching in to help." Cream said. "Even Salla took time away from her eggs to help."

"That reminds me." Sonic said. "I need to return the eggs I found to Salla."

"Then you better head back to the second district." Cream said when a worker called to her. "Whoops, gotta go. See ya."

"Bye!" The hero team called.

"She looks like a fun person." Marine said brightly.

"Yeah, she's fun until she starts kicking your butt around the ring." Storm groaned, rubbing his beak where Cream kicked it.

And so, the group swerved past the construction site and walked through the doors to the second district. It wasn't as badly damaged as the first. The only thing different was that the walls were scarred and the glass was broken. They reached the door to Salla's house, which surprisingly remained undamaged. But before they entered, Sonic pulled out a familiar purple stone. Storm and Angel understood, but Marine watched curiously as Sonic tossed the stone up. The stone pulsated as Storm and Angel's essence were sucked in and replaced by Spyro.

"Bonza! A Dragon!" Marine cheered. "That's the coolest thing I've ever seen!"

"What's wrong, Sonic?" Spyro asked, searching up and down the street. "Where are the heartless?"

"There are no heartless, Spyro." Sonic assured him. "Just thought you might want to join us when we return the dragon eggs."

"Sure, just one thing." Spyro said.

"What?" Sonic asked.

"Get this crazy girl off me!" Spyro screamed.

Marine was riding on Spyro's back like a horse, cheering while the purple dragon tried to buck her off. After what took ten minutes, Sonic managed to calm the wild raccoon and joined by Spyro as they walked in. Things had changes considerably since they last saw the house. There were now shelves that stocked the eggs, which were held in place by blankets. Salla, the dragon nanny, was polishing one of the eggs when she noticed them come in.

"Oh, Sonic, Spyro. It's great to see you again." Salla said. The dragon nanny nearly hugged them to death when she noticed Marine on the side. "Oh, and who is this cute young lady."

"I'm Marine the Raccoon." Marine announced proudly.

"A pleasure to meet you." Salla said happily as she turned back to the others. "So, Sonic, did you bring me any eggs?"

"I got a lot." Sonic said, reaching into his quills. He pulled out a stockpile of eggs and handed them to Salla. "Here you go."

"Great." Salla said, taking the eggs. "At this rate, the eggs will be all together before they hatch."

"This good to hear." Spyro said uneasily. Something seemed to bother Spyro; his tail twitched more often and he stared down at his claws. He finally gained the nerve to talk and asked. "You haven't heard anything from Ember, have you?"

"No, sorry, I haven't." Salla said glumly as she set the eggs on the selves.

"Who is Ember anyway?" Sonic asked. "Every time I summon you, you always ask about her. Is she your girlfriend or something?"

"Not in a million years!" Spyro yelled; his expression quickly turned sad. "It's just that...I made a mistake."

"What mistake, mate?" Marine asked.

"She was asking me for a date, like usual." Spyro explained. "If finally had enough and called her an annoying brat that no one would ever like. I shouldn't have said that. She ran away, crying. I wanted to apologize, but then the heartless attack." A tear trekked down Spyro's cheek. "If I could, I would go back and change everything."

Sonic could understand how he felt. There were so many things he wanted to tell Amy, but was to chicken to say them. When he finally worked up the nerve, she was gone. Sonic patted Spyro softly; Spyro's tears stopped.

"Don't worry, we'll find her." Sonic smiled. "I promise."

"Thanks, pal." Spyro said.

"So sweet." Salla smiled at the two. "I just know you'll find her together. Oh, before I forget..." She reached into her apron and pulled out a piece of paper. "I found this on the street one morning. I thought it might interest you."

"A page from Shahra's book!" Sonic cried, taking the page.

"The genie girl?" Spyro questioned.

"That's right." Sonic nodded. "We should head straight to Shahra's right away."

"I hope to see you soon." Salla waved.

"Bye, mate!" Marine waved as they walked out the door.

They exited the house, where Marine once again rode Spyro like a horse. Not wanting to go through the same hassle as before, Spyro allowed his passenger to ride. He didn't now why, but Marine's innocence reminded him of Ember. He wiped away a tear while Marine and Sonic weren't looking. They walked into through the doors to the third district. Metal's house seemed undamaged, but the walls, fountain, and electrical systems were all cut. Most likely from the hooded figure. Finally, Spyro's time was up and Strom and Angel appeared under Marine.

"Hey, where have you guys been?" Marine asked.

"I've always wondered that." Sonic said out loud.

"To tell you the truth, we kind of black out when you summon someone." Storm scratched his head.

"Ih." Angel nodded.

Well, anyway, we're headed to Shahra's to return the pages." Sonic explained.

"Good idea." Storm nodded.

Sonic walked down the stairs while Angel and Storm knocked Marine off and followed. Marine scrambled after them. They reached the wooden door, which Sonic opened with a well practiced fireball. They found Shahra in the same circular room, floating near the top shelf of her book case. Shahra closed the book she was reading when she noticed them.

"Greetings, friends." Shahra greeted. She then noticed they were short one person. "Where is Silver?"

"Well, he is...uh." Sonic stammered, trying to find the right words.

"He's shifted side." Shahra stated. The heroes were shocked, but nodded anyway. "The master predicted this would happen one day. But besides that, I hear you have a few pages for me."

"How does she know that?" Marine whispered.

"Must be a genie thing." Storm whispered back.

Sonic held out the remaining pages of the mysterious book he collected during his travels. Shahra summoned the book on her table with a flick of her wrist. Shahra waved her hand and the few pages levitated around the book. The books cover flung open and the pages dived inside, restoring themselves within its confines. But instead of slamming shut like last time, the book remained open.

"Uh...what happens now?" Storm asked.

"I am...uncertain." Shahra replied.

Suddenly, Sonic's ears twitched. He heard a voice; small and barely audible, but he heard it. It sounded similar to the squeak of the creature that woke him up when he first arrived in Traverse Town. He crossed over and stood directly over the book. There was a picture of a log on the page with something blue sitting on it. Something moving. Sonic reached out to touch the page, but he got more than he bargained for. The book suddenly immersed him in vacuum that sucked him inside. Before anyone could responded to this, the book slammed shut. Storm and Shahra tried to open it back up, but magic bounced off and strength was useless.

"What happened?" Marine asked concerned. "What happened to our mate?"

"The book must have brought him into its pages." Shahra said.

"How do we get him out?" Storm asked.

"We can't." Shahra shook her head. "The book can only be opened from the inside. It's up to Sonic now.

The others did not seem reassured, but knew it was all right. If anyone could escape, it was Sonic.

"Im hungry." Marine said randomly.

"Who wants nachos?" Shahra asked.

Everyone eagerly raised their hands and left; the book lay forgotten on the table.

**

* * *

**

--Chao Garden--

Inside the book, Sonic wasn't as sure as the others. He was sucked through a dark funnel, thinking light would come none too soon. Suddenly, he found himself with his face in the ground. He picked himself up; cracking his sore back, when he noticed his environment had changed dramatically. He was no longer in the Arabian circular room, but instead on a grassy hill surrounded by an array of bushes. In the center of the field was a fallen log like he saw in the book along with the mysterious blue creature.

"Whoa, what happened here?" Sonic scratched his head. "Either that chili dog was way past its expiration date or I have been sucked inside the book." Sonic looks to the small blue creature. "Maybe that little guy knows."

He walks up the hill and waves to the little blue creature. The blue creature turned to Sonic. He was amazed that the creature looked exactly like Cheese, the king's pet chao, but with a few slight differences. The creature was a dark blue, had three spikes sticking in the back of its head, and a bright blue ball hanging over it. He shared a scare resemblance to Sonic himself. Sonic sat down next to his little copy, but the creature didn't even stir.

"Hey, little guy, what's wrong?" Sonic asked.

"Oh, nothing." The little creature said. "Just thinking."

"About what?" Sonic asked.

"Just thinking of how to say goodbye to Sonic-chao." The creature said.

"Sonic-chao?" Sonic repeated. "Who's Sonic-chao?"

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce myself." The creature said. "My name is Sonic-chao."

"I'm Sonic, just Sonic." Sonic grinned.

"Hello, Sonic." Sonic chao smiled. "Have you come to say goodbye me, too?"

"Why would I do that?" Sonic asked in surprise. "We just met each other."

"Because everyone else is gone." Sonic-chao said sadly.

"Gone? To where?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know." Sonic-chao said. "We all used to live great here in Chao Garden. We would have races and go swimming. And everyday I would run away from Amy-chao. She always asks me to marry her."

"Must be tough, huh?" Sonic sniggered.

"Like you wouldn't believe." Sonic-chaos laughed, but stopped suddenly. "But now, everyone is gone. Even our favorite fruit tree has gone missing." Sonic-chao jumps off the log. "And who knows, maybe I shall be saying good bye soon? But how do you say good bye to yourself? Oh, my brain hurts."

The little blue chao walked away holding his head. Sonic was more then ready to follow when he suddenly found himself being pulled up to the air, as if by invisible wires. Sonic was sucked into the same funnel as before and landed on his face again.

"Why is it always the face?" Sonic whined. He pulled himself up and shook his head free of excess grass. "Where am I now?"

He like the last area, it was a grassy plain. The only difference is that there was a single palm tree surrounded by bushes. Closer inspection revealed Sonic-chao inside a nest-like home holding a small jar.

"Aw, all out of fruit." Sonic-chao whined. "If only the fruit tree would come back. I'm really hungry."

"Poor little guy." Sonic whispered sympathetically.

"It is the fate of our people."

Sonic looked back to find another chao. This chao was grey with two tendrils in the back, five points sticking from its forehead, and a white ball floating over its head. It spookily made a resemblance to...

"Silver?" Sonic asked.

"You must have me confused for someone else." The chao shook his head. "I am Silver-chao."

"Ok, Silver-chao." Sonic's heart wretched at how similar the two were. "What do you mean by the fate of your people?"

"Well, ever since the pages were scattered, the life of the chao have been dwindling." Silver-chao explained. "But now that you're here, there might still be a chance."

"What can I do?" Sonic asked.

"Though the pages are together, they remain blank." Silver-chao explained. "It is up to you as the gatherer of the pages to refill those blank pages."

"How do you expect me to do that?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"You have already done it once." Silver-chao stated. "You filled the page we are currently standing in. It was the purity of your heart that wrote the words to this story."

"So what do I do now?" Sonic asked.

"Just follow where your heart goes." Silver-chao said wisely.

"That's something that Silver would say." Sonic said meekly.

Sonic felt himself being lifted up into the air again and into the dark funnel. Sonic was pretty much used to this by now. Except for the part where he lands on his face.

"_Will I ever get a break?" _Sonic thought angrily.

Sonic once again pulled himself up as he searched the new area. It appeared be a leafy meadow with a set of bushes and a calm water pond. But the main attraction was the giant tree filled with an assorted number of fruit of every shape, size, and color imaginable. Sonic figured it was the fruit tree Sonic-chao moaned about when he heard a shy voice coming from it.

"Sonic-chao? Sonic-chao, where are you? It's me, Tails-chao!"

The creature that referred to itself as Tails-chao came walking around the fruit tree, crying for Sonic-chao. The chao was yellow with pointed fox ears, a green ball overhead, and, to Sonic's amazement, two tails.

"Sonic-chao, this isn't funny!" Tails-chao cried, on the verge of tears. "Please come out! I don't like being alone!"

Feeling sorry for the little chao, Sonic walked over to comfort him. Tails-chao saw our heroes shadow and stared up to see Sonic blocking his view of the sun. Sonic held out his hand, expecting the chao to take it, but got the opposite reaction.

"AAH! MONSTER!!" Tails-chao screamed, running into the bushes.

"Well, that could have gone better." Sonic sweat dropped. He walked over to the bush, where Tails-chao was shaking behind his tails. "Come on out. I promise I won't hurt you."

"Liar!" Tails-chao screamed. "You're trying to trick me! Help! Monster!"

"I'm only trying to – yow!" Sonic yelped.

Sonic was knocked to the ground and felt a slight pressure on his chest. He groaned while extending his head upwards to gaze upon Sonic-chao standing on him. Sonic-chao looked ready to fight until he crossed eyes with Sonic.

"Sonic?" Sonic-chao asked. "You're the monster?"

"Yep, that's me." Sonic joked. "Sonic the monster at your service."

"It's ok, Tails-chao. He a good guy." Sonic-chao explained, jumping off Sonic's chest.

"Sonic-chao, your back!" Tails-chao cheered. "Where have you been all this time?"

"I don't know." Sonic-chao said thoughtfully. "I was doing my daily run from Amy-chao when everything went dark."

"The same thing happened to me!" Tails-chao exclaimed. "I was picking fruit from the fruit tree when it went dark. I couldn't see anything anymore. I was cold and scary, like all the joy had been sucked out of the world."

"But it's all good now." Sonic-chao said happily. "We found you and the fruit tree is back."

"That has to be good news." Sonic smirked.

"It would be if it wasn't for him." Tails-chao said sadly.

"Who?" Sonic asked curiously.

"Me!" A voice above yelled.

The trio shot their heads around to the direction of the voice; Sonic thought he had a whiplash. Standing at the top of the tree was another chao, but this one looked more menacing then the others. His entire body was black, his smile was filled with razor sharp teeth, a pair of red wings in the back, and a spiked red ball hung over his head. The evil chao flapped his wings around the tree, laughing manically.

"Who is that freak show?" Sonic questioned.

"That's Dark-chao." Sonic-chao said seriously. "He's a chao that became greedy and turned evil. We keep banishing him to the lower garden, but he always finds his way back." The blue chao shouted to the black chao. "So what are you up to this time, Dark-chao?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Dark-chao sniggered. "Now that the pages are starting to restore themselves, I plan to conquer each and every one of them! Starting with the fruit tree!"

"You can't do that!" Tails-chao yelled.

"Oh, but I can!" Dark-chao replied. "From this day forward, all the fruit of this tree belongs to me!" He flapped around, picking random fruit of the tree. "This one's mine! And this one! And this one!"

"That fruit belongs to all the chao!" Sonic-chao yelled.

"Not anymore!" Dark-chao exclaimed, nesting at the top of the tree. "It's mine! All mine! Bwahaha – awk." He started coughing heavily. "Ugh, hairball."

"We have to get him out of the tree." Sonic-chao stated.

"But how?" Tails-chao asked. "He's all the way up there. And if you if you get too close, he'll knock you off with fruit."

"Don't worry, Tails-chao." Sonic chao grinned. "I have an idea."

"_That's what he always says._" Tails-chao sweat dropped."

"Sonic?" Sonic-chao asked.

"Huh? What is it?" Sonic asked curiously.

"I'm gonna jump on the branches to try and get to Dark-chao." Sonic-chao explained. "Once I get to the top, I should be able to get a clear shot at him. But if he keeps knocking me down with fruit, I'll never reach him."

"So you want me knock away the fruit while you take care of Dark-chao." Sonic understood.

"Exactly!" Sonic-chao exclaimed. "What do you say?"

"I say, bring it on!" Sonic roared eagerly.

Sonic-chao ran up to the roots while Sonic pulled out his Keyblade. Sonic replaced the Phoenix Blade with the Lugia Blade, wanting to play it safe. As Sonic-chao jumped to the first branch, Dark chao began pelting the fruit down on him. Sonic-chao dodged two of the fruit, but a third one was headed straight at him. At the last second, Sonic zoomed by and cut the fruit down the middle, giving Sonic-chao a chance jump to the next branch.

"So you want to play, huh?" Dark-chao sniggered. "Have fun with this one!"

Dark-chao threw a pear shaped green fruit at Sonic.

"That's it?" Sonic smirked, readying his blade. "You're really losing your touch."

"Don't touch it!" Tails-chao shouted. "That zomba isn't ripe yet! Its juices are filled with poison!"

"You're kidding!" Sonic exclaimed. Sonic jumped of the branch as the fruit splattered over it. True to his word, the juices instantly dissolved the tree branch. "Ok, so he's not kidding."

Dark-chao roared with laughter and started throwing nothing but zomba's at Sonic. The blue hedgehog was jumping from branch to branch, each one dissolving in his wake. Sonic swerved around the branches until he stopped and realized he was thirty feet in the air without a branch to jump to.

"Aw, what's the matter, blue boy?" Dark-chao cackled mockingly. "Out on a limb?"

"That was the fourth worst pun I have ever heard." Sonic shook disappointingly.

"Aw, shut up!" Dark-chao exclaimed. "You're in no position to be making remarks. You're trapped thirty feet in the air with nowhere to go." He readied another zomba in his nonexistent hand. "So who's the loser now?"

"That would still be you."

Dark-chao turned his head shockingly towards Sonic-chao, who had snuck up the tree while his nemesis was busy with Sonic. Sonic-chao curled himself into a ball and performed a move similar to Sonic's Spin Dash attack. Dark-chao screamed like shrilly, dropping the fruit he obtained. Sonic-chao bashed Dark-chao in the head, sending him flying away into the sky screaming.

"Curse you, Sonic-chao!" And he was gone.

Sonic-chao uncurled and threw himself out in a cheer. Unfortunately, he had not realized he was fifty feet in the air until he felt himself drop. Sonic-chao tried flailing his arms when he remembered he wasn't a bird and shrugged. Sonic-chao had already dropped twenty feet when Sonic jumped out and caught the little blue chao in his arms.

"Got any ideas!" Sonic-chao screamed.

"Always do!" Sonic replied.

The keychain on his blade started to glow and they both descended slowly to the ground. As they touched down to the ground. Tails-chao jumped them and slammed them to the ground.

"That was awesome!" Tails-chao cheered.

"It was." Sonic-chao commented; he and Tail-chao jumped off their friend. "What was that?"

"It was the power of my Keyblade's keychain." Sonic said, showing off. "It's got all kind of awesome powers."

"And it would be best if you didn't show them off." Silver-chao advised, appearing from nowhere. "You never know when enemies might be watching."

"Hey, Silver-chao." Tails-chao greeted. "Have you met our friend uh..."

"Sonic." Sonic said, giving a proper introduction.

"We've been acquainted." Silver-chao nodded. "Anyway, we have saved this page from Dark-chao, but there are still four others."

"Maybe we could head to Knuckles-chao's house." Sonic-chao suggested. "He always keeps the best fruit."

"That's Sonic-chao." Tails-chao chuckled. "Always thinking about his stomach."

Sonic-chao revved up his feet and zoomed off at super sonic speed. Sonic was sure that his eyebrows had been singed off from the velocity. To his amazement, Tails-chao whirled namesakes around and floated in the air like a helicopter. He and Silver-chao, who was levitating, flew off after their blue buddy.

"Look's like things are going to be interesting around here." Sonic chuckled. "Well, time to fly."

Once again, Sonic found himself being lifted into the air; the ground below him vanished in a wave of darkness. Sonic was being hurtled through the funnel when he suddenly lurched forward. He fell on his face, but everything was still black. He had somehow been stopped in the middle of the funnel.

"Hello!" Sonic called; his voice echoed in the darkness. "Hello! Is anyone there! I think this thing is busted!"

Sudden, an explosion of light erupted in the funnel. The light blinded Sonic, who shield his eyes for protection. When the light dimmed, Sonic slowly brought his arms down. Floating in front of him was a ball of teal light energy with a black face in the center. Sonic didn't know why, but the face looked familiar.

"Who are you?" Sonic asked cautiously.

"Greetings, Keyblade Master." The face said. "I am here to guide you."

"Guide me?" Sonic repeated. "To where? Who are you?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot reveal everything." The face said. "But I can provide you a way to succeed on your journey."

"Ok, give it to me." Sonic said more confidently.

"The key to the final kingdom lies with the emerald master." The face said in riddles.

"The what to where with the who?" Sonic questioned. "What does that mean?" Then an idea came to him. "Wait! Does this have anything to do with Mephiles or Zoan?!"

"Good luck, Keyblade Master." The face said as it started to fade away.

"Wait!" Sonic cried. "What does it mean?! Who are you?!"

But the face was already gone and Sonic was left with no answers. All of a sudden, Sonic was lurched forward; the funnel had resumes its vacuum motion. But as Sonic drifted in the empty space of darkness, many more questions came then answers. Who was the face he saw? Was it a vision or a figment of imagination? But the questions were pushed from his mind when the light returned and Sonic landed on his face again.

"Why does this always happen to me?" Sonic moaned.

* * *

**Introducing: Chao Garden! What other wonderous characters await in the story? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	29. Chao for Now, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Eight: Chao for now, Part 2

The blue hedgehog cursed his luck for landing on his face again. Sonic had once again traveled to a different location of Chao Garden. This time, he landed in a small forest where a stone house stood in the center; the front yard decorated with rows of grape vines. Sonic walked up to the wooden door of the stone home. But upon knocking, it wasn't the kind of response one would buy.

"No one's home." A gruff voice called from inside. "Come back later."

"Oh, ok." Sonic said, turning to walk away. Two steps later, Sonic did a double take. "Hey...what time do I come back?"

Not the brightest hedgehog, is he? As Sonic walked around the house, the blue hedgehog was greeted by three friendly faces: Sonic-chao, Tails-chao, and Silver-chao. They were gathered around and open hole in the side of the house.

"Hey, guys, what's going on?" Sonic called.

"We're just trying to find out how to get into Knuckles-chao's house." Tails-chao explained.

"Who's Knuckles-chao?" Sonic asked oddly.

"Knuckles-chao is one of Sonic-chao's rivals." Silver-chao explained. "He may not be as fast as Sonic-chao, but his sheer strength makes up for that. We tried knocking, but he won't let us in. He doesn't usually like company except Rouge-chao."

But as they were talking, none of them noticed Sonic-chao slipping through the hole until a booming yell was heard.

"Sonic-chao, get out of my house!!"

Panicking slightly, Sonic ran back to the front door. Sonic was always told by his guardian, Chuck, never to barge into a person's home with out asking. But when has he ever listened to anyone? Sonic pushed open the door and walked in.

"Hey, Knuckles-chao." Sonic-chao greeted. "How's life treating ya?"

"It would be better if you didn't keep showing up!" Knuckles-chao yelled.

Knuckles-chao was a violent red chao, which matched his personality. He had dangling dreadlocks, a white crescent birth mark on his chest, and a green ball hanging over his head. He also had two spikes on each hand, which Sonic was sure was how he was named. At that time, Silver-chao and Tails-chao crawled through the hole.

"For the 24,736th time, Get out of my house!" Knuckles-chao yelled at the top of his lungs.

"Hey, fruit!" Sonic-chao exclaimed, bypassing Knuckles-chao completely.

"Why do I even bother?" Knuckles-chao moaned. It was then that he took notice of the bigger Sonic. "Who's the freak?"

"Who are you calling a freak?!" Sonic roared, waving his fist. Knuckles-chao grabbed the fist, lifted the hedgehog into the air, and slammed him to the floor seventeen times before letting him go. "Strong boy."

"Again, I ask, who are you?" Knuckles-chao repeated.

"The name's Sonic." Sonic groaned.

"Well, _Sonic_, I hate to repeat myself." Knuckles-chao sighed. "But, get out of my house!"

"Ok, ok, I'm going." Sonic said, walking towards the door. He walked out, slamming the door behind him. "Friendly little guy, ain't he? I would mind introducing him to the heartless."

Sonic walked past the garden of grape vines, grumbling on about Knuckles-chao's rudeness. He was near the edge of the page when his ears twitched suddenly. He heard something; a small sequel from the house.

"Help!" Tails-chao cried. "Somebody help Sonic-chao!"

Scared for his little friend, Sonic rushed back inside the house, busting the door down. His Lugia Blade was drawn, but there didn't seem to be any signs of trouble.

"You sure know how to make an entrance." Knuckles-chao grumbled, replacing his broken door.

"What happened?" Sonic asked.

"Sonic-chao tried to crawl through the hole and got stuck." Silver-chao said annoyed.

Sonic sweat dropped; his Keyblade disappeared. He couldn't help but laugh as Sonic-chao's predicament; his tiny legs were squirming around frantically.

"Yo, what happened?!" Sonic-chao called. "Did this thing shrink on me or something?!"

"All that fruit were straight through him." Knuckles-chao grumbled. "Hold on, I'll get him out." Knuckles-chao pushed himself against the blue chao's behind, but utterly failed. "Whoa, that fruit is some strong stuff."

"Maybe we should pull him out instead?" Silver-chao suggested.

The others agreed to Silver-chao's idea and stepped outside the house. The found Sonic-chao trying to squirm his way out with no luck.

"This is humiliating." Sonic-chao muttered. "I'm the fastest chao alive and I'm stuck in a hole."

"How do we get him out?" Tails-chao asked.

"There's and old recipe that uses grapes as a deflation solution." Knuckles-chao explained. "All we need is enough grapes from my garden to get him loose."

"Great!" Sonic-chao exclaimed. "Just hurry before..."

"SONIC-CHAO!!" A voice screamed.

"Oh no!!" Sonic-chao panicked. "Get me out! Get me out! Get me out!!"

Sonic watched out the hill as a cloud of dust came zooming towards them. He soon realized that it was a chao moving at unbelievable speeds. The chao was pink with three bangs and quills. She wore a red dress, a red ball over her head and gave a startling likeness of Amy. The pink chao bowled the others over and proceeded to kiss Sonic-chao, who was screaming as if he was dying.

"Sonic-chao!" The chao cried. "I thought I lost you forever!"

"Amy-chao, knock it off." Sonic-chao said. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I was playing with Cream-chao when everything went dark." Amy-chao said. "I've looked everywhere, but I just can't find her. Lucky I ran into you."

"Yeah, lucky." Sonic-chao said sarcastically.

"What are you doing in a hole?" Amy-chao asked.

"He ate too much fruit and got himself stuck." Silver-chao explained. "We're going to make a solution from Knuckles-chao's grapes."

"There might be a problem with that."

Everyone looked over to the grape vines to find the Dark-chao grinning nastily. At once, Sonic had a terrible thought, which Dark-chao confirmed by stepping on one of the vines before proceeding to the next.

"The grapes!" Tails-chao cried. "If Dark-chao ruins them all, Sonic-chao will never get out!"

"I'll take care of him." Amy-chao said, pulling a large red hammer out of nowhere. "Anything for my Sonic-chao."

"We'll help too." Sonic said; Knuckles-chao nodded.

At once, the three charged into the garden. Dark-chao was about to stomp on another grape vine, when Amy-chao's hammer flew in. Desperate to avoid her, Dark-chao made another attempt, this time facing Sonic's Keyblade. Between the two, Dark-chao would rather take his chances with Sonic. Dark-chao flipped over and stamped the vine. He proceeds to the next vine until Sonic kicked him away. After a good five minutes, all of they were covered in dirt, panting.

"This...isn't over." Dark-chao wheezed. He turned to run, only to come face-to-face with Knuckles-chao. "Oh, crud." The red chao whirled his arm back and flung it into Dark-chao's face, sending him flying over the hill. "Curse you, Knuckles-chao!"

"Now that he's out of the way, I can make the solution." Knuckles-chao said, picking at the saved grapes. "You wait inside to get him out." Inside Knuckles-chao's home, Sonic waited irritably for a few minutes before Knuckles-chao walked through the door. "I gave him the solution."

"So do I push him out now?" Sonic asked.

"No, allow me." Knuckles-chao said sinisterly.

The red chao walked past the blue hedgehog behind Sonic-chao. Knuckles-chao grinned wickedly as he whirled his arm and shot it like a rocket. A second later, Sonic-chao burst through the hole and shot over the hills.

"Knuckles-chao!!" Sonic-chao screamed.

"Think you might have overdone it." Sonic said nervously.

"Maybe next time, he'll learn to listen." Knuckles-chao smirked.

Even Sonic couldn't resist the urge to laugh. But the laughter was cut short when he felt himself being pulled through the roof and into the familiar dark tunnel. When the tunnel reached its end, Sonic reacted quickly by placing his feet forward. But surprisingly enough, he still landed on his face.

"How is that even possible?" Sonic asked.

Sonic picked himself up to stare around the page. Like the others, the area was surrounded by low hedges. A river ran by with a bridge hanging over it and a large tree atop the hill. The looked over to the bridge where he saw Sonic-chao and Tails-chao fishing.

"Hey, guys!" Sonic called, walking to them. "Anything good?"

"Nah, all we caught were whales." Sonic-chao said disappointingly, pointing back at the large pile of whales. Sonic didn't see the point in asking where they came from. "We haven't caught any good ones in weeks."

"Sonic-chao, I think I caught something!" Tails-chao shouted, tugging at his line. "Feels like a big one!"

"Reel it in!" Sonic-chao said excitingly.

Tails-chao tugged at his line, but whatever he caught seemed to be putting up a fight. Sonic quickly took the line from Tails-chao and ushered up all his strength to pull it out. Surprisingly enough, it wasn't a fish, it was a chao. It had a deep black color with multiple red highlights. His expression seemed to be one of constant hatred.

"It's Shadow-chao!" Tails-chao cheered.

"That's got to be the ugliest fish I ever saw." Sonic-chao joked. Shadow-chao jumped and kicked him in the face. "Hey, watch it, faker!"

"Shadow-chao, what were you doing in the river?" Tails-chao asked, hoping to avoid a fight.

"Dark-chao jumped me and pushed me in." Shadow-chao said angrily. "I don't know what, but he took something from me."

"I think I know what." Sonic said apprehensively. "Don't chao's normally have those balls on there heads?"

"What?!" Shadow-chao exclaimed, looking up. He growled when he saw the ball was missing. "That Dark-chao took it?!"

"That's right!" Dark-chao said, flying directly in front of the group. "I have taken Shadow-chao's ball and hidden it away where no one would find it. Now no one can stop me now!"

"Uh...why?" Sonic asked.

"I...never thought about that." Dark-chao said.

"You think about it during your trip." Shadow-chao growled.

In one swift motion, Shadow-chao kicked off the ground and jabbed Dark-chao in the head. The evil chao was sent flying over the edge, "Curse you, Shadow-chao!!"

"Ok..." Sonic said awkwardly. "Now what?"

"What do you think, moron?" Shadow-chao growled. "We look for my ball."

"Nah, I think I'll chill for a while." Sonic-chao said lazily.

But when they stared at the red aura surrounding the black chao, they scrambled. Tails-chao used his namesakes to scout the area while Sonic-chao zoomed up and down the hill. Sonic pulled himself out of the river, gasping desperately for air, and flopped on the ground. For three hours, they looked with no such luck. Wherever Dark-chao hid it, he hid it good.

"I can't find it anywhere." Tails-chao reported.

"Nothing on my end either." Sonic-chao said coolly.

"Don't worry about it, Shadow-chao." Sonic said calmly. "We'll find it soon enough."

"You idiots spent three hours looking without even a scent." Shadow-chao growled; the aura started to return. "You'd best start running. I am about to blow you straight to the lower garden!"

They didn't need to be told twice. Tails-chao, being the slowest, twirled his tails to get out of the psychopathic chao's reach. Sonic tried to make a run for it, but he quickly discovered-Sonic-chao wasn't the only one who could run at super sonic speeds. Shadow-chao leapt up and shot downward with his foot out in front. Sonic jumped away, but nearly wet himself when Shadow-chao's blow made a ten foot crater in the ground.

"Calm down, Shadow-chao." Sonic said soothingly. "Maybe we can work something out."

"No point trying to talk to him." Sonic-chao stated, jumping in front of Shadow-chao. "The only way he'll listen is if you knock some sense into him."

"Is this really necessary?" Sonic asked.

"Yes!" The chao replied.

"Just asking." Sonic waved.

The two took of and disappear like blurs. The two could only be seen whenever they hit before disappearing again. Sonic was backed into the tree when they fight started to come a little too close. He ducked when Shadow-chao's arm came flying near his head, splitting the tree down the middle. Sighing in relief, Sonic allowed himself to fall back on the ground. He shot up a second later when he felt something stab and his hindquarters.

"Yow! What in the-?" Sonic exclaimed. He reached back and pulled the pointed object out of his butt. It was a red spiked ball that looked similar to Dark-chao's. "Hey, this belongs to anyone?"

The two speed chao stopped almost instantly and stared at the spiked red ball.

"My ball!" Shadow-chao shouted. He ran up and snatched in from Sonic's hand. He threw it over his head where it floated in place. "Back where it belongs."

"Dark-chao must have hidden it inside the hollow of the tree." Sonic said intriguingly. "It must have fallen out when you knocked it down." He turned back to the black chao with a greedy expression on his face. "So, do I get a reward or something?"

"Oh, you'll get something, all right." Shadow-chao said darkly.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the kind of something Sonic would hold out for. The red aura returned to Shadow-chao as he twisted upwards. His foot collided with Sonic's chin, sending him flying through the air. Luckily, he was pulled through the dark tunnel and transported to the next page. He landed on his face again, but with time in a puddle of mud.

"Ok, there is no way my luck is that bad." Sonic groaned.

Sonic pulled himself together and found himself in a swampy area. It was mostly covered by mud with a tall branch of grass in the center. As he stepped closer, he noticed a blue blur circling around the grass.

"Sonic-chao?" Sonic questioned.

The blur stopped to reveal Sonic-chao, who greeted. "Hiya, Sonic."

"What are you doing?" Sonic asked.

"Everyone went missing again!" Sonic-chao yelled frantically. "I turned my back for one moment and they were gone! So I began following these tracks." The chao pointed to the tracks in the mud, which Sonic was sure belonged to the naïve chao. "I think whoever caused these tracks might have taken them."

"Those are your tracks, idiot." A voice said in the grass.

The grass started to rustle as a figure emerged from the depths. It was relief to find that it was only Shadow-chao.

"Shadow-chao." Sonic sighed. "Great to see ya."

"Who cares?" Sonic-chao said rudely. "All I want to know is what happened to the others."

"Dark-chao thought it would be really funny if he gave everyone bad directions." Shadow-chao explained. "Everyone was off their paths and split up somewhere in this swamp. I was planning to use this grass as a safehouse. I have already found one of them."

Shadow-chao parted the grass to show a small clearing inside. There stood a small tan chao with orange spots and an orange ball over its head. It was clearly female by the orange dress it wore along with the floppy rabbit ears. It was creepy how much the chao reminded Sonic of Cream; his head remembered the pain of their first meeting.

"Cream-chao!" Sonic cheered.

"Oh, Mr. Sonic-chao." Cream-chao said politely. "It's so nice to see you again."

"I think that's enough sentiments." Shadow-chao said coldly. "We should focus on finding the others."

"Don't worry." Sonic said. "We'll find them before you know it."

"Be careful." Cream-chao said softly.

"Can do." Sonic-chao smirked.

As Shadow-chao and Cream-chao took safety back in the grass, Sonic and his little chao walked further into the swamp. They reached solid ground within a minute and found a series of holes in the ground. The heroes thought of walked over them until they heard something coming from one of the holes. Sonic-chao stared down the hole and shouted.

"Hey, it's Knuckles-chao!"

Sonic looked down the hole and sure enough, Knuckles-chao was lodged in it.

"Knuckles-chao, how did you get stuck in there?" Sonic asked.

"Dark-chao snuck up from behind and shoved me down here." Knuckles-chao grumbled.

"How do we get him out?" Sonic-chao asked.

"Just leave that to me." Sonic smirked.

Sonic stepped up and moved over to one of the other holes. He held out his hand, which began to gather a high amount of pressurized wind. The wind formed into a sphere to perform Sonic's new signature: Sonic Wind. He forcefully shoved it down the hole. The other holes in the area blew wide open; Knuckles-chao was launched out. It was lucky enough he landed in the grass between Shadow-chao and Cream-chao.

"Welcome back." Shadow-chao sniggered.

"Shut it." Knuckles-chao mumbled

With one down, the heroes continued their search. They climbed up a row of vines that helped them up to the second level of the swamp. They started climbing along a log that acted as a bridge when they heard a sudden scream.

"That sounded like Amy-chao." Sonic-chao said worried. "Come on!"

Sonic-chao zoomed on ahead, Sonic running his full just to keep up. They found Amy-chao dangling by a thin vine over a twenty foot drop. Sonic curled into his spin dash to cut the vine while Sonic-chao jumped to save her. Once they touched ground, Amy-chao proceeded with her usual kissing of Sonic-chao.

"Oh, Sonic-chao!" Amy-chao cried. "I was so worried I would never see you again."

"You say that all the time, Amy-chao." Sonic-chao groaned. "Look, Cream-chao's waiting back at the tall grass. Stay there while we find the others."

Amy-chao nodded in understanding and kissed Sonic-chao on the cheek; he wiped it grudgedly. As she set off, the dynamic duo resumed their search. Sonic jumped up to the third level of the swamp, having to pull Sonic-chao up because of his small size. Only thing really there was a large tree surrounded by an array of bushes. The only strange thing was that a small rock covered the base of the tree. Suddenly, they bushes started to rustle. Sonic and the chao armed themselves for an attack. They were relieved and slightly disappointed that it was only Silver-chao.

"Haven't seen you in a while Silver-chao." Sonic greeted.

"A pleasure as always." Silver-chao said smoothly.

"Hey, Silver-chao, have you seen any of the others?" Sonic-chao asked. "We've found everyone except for Tails-chao."

"Tails-chao is behind there." Silver-chao said, pointing to the rock at the tree. "Dark-chao pushed him inside and closed him in with that rock."

"Tails-chao!" Sonic-chao yelled, running over to the rock. "Tails-chao, can you hear me?!"

"Sonic-chao, is that you?!" Tails-chao's voice replied.

"Don't worry, Tails-chao, I'll get you out!" Sonic-chao shouted. The little blue chao walked backwards a few feet, revved up his feet, and shot at the rock. He was flattened against it and fell back. "That didn't work."

"Allow me." Silver-chao offered.

Silver-chao held out his small arm, which started emitting a white aura. To Sonic's surprise, the rock was also surrounded by the same aura and started hovering off the ground. Silver-chao flung the rock over the edge. At the same time, Tails-chao came bounding out of the hole, jumping up into Sonic's arms.

"Sonic, I'm so glad you found me!" Tails-chao cheered.

"Everything is ok." Sonic said assuring. "Let's get back to the others."

The other chao nodded in agreement and followed Sonic back down to the lower levels of the swamp. It took them a few minutes to get back to the tall grass, having got lost twice on the way down. When they finally reached the tall grass, it was Amy-chao who signaled their return. The other chao swarmed out in celebration except Shadow-chao who was brooding. But the celebration was cut short when Dark-chao swooped in from the sky. Judging by his expression, he was not pleased.

"Drat!" Dark-chao cursed. "I can't believe you thwarted my plans again."

"What plan?" Sonic chuckled. "All they did was get lost."

"This isn't over, you hear!" Dark-chao proclaimed. "I'll be back. And when I do, I'll..."

Dark-chao was smart enough to end his ranting from that point. Sonic and the little chao's grinned widely as they edged closer to the evil chao, who found himself against a wall. Sonic-chao's quick feet, Tails-chao's twirling namesakes, Knuckles-chao's spiked fists, Amy-chao's giant hammer, Shadow-chao's red aura, Silver-chao's glowing arms, Cream-chao's puppy dog eyes, and Sonic's Keyblade. It doesn't take a genius to know what happens next.

"Curse you – oh, forget it!" Dark-chao screamed as he was flung into the sky.

Sonic and the others returned to the fruit tree on the second page. It was night time already and the full moon covered the page in its luminous glow. Sonic and the chao sat around the fruit tree, gazing interestingly at the twinkling stars above them. This moment reminded Sonic of all the times he, Espio, and Amy would watch the stars from the islands, making up their own constellations. Would that ever happen again?

"I'm so happy we're all together again." Cream-chao suddenly said. "I was so scared being all alone."

"Aw, Cream-chao, you need to be brave." Amy-chao said encouragingly.

"You weren't scared at all?" Cream-chao asked amazed.

"Are you kidding, I was going out of my mind!" Amy-chao laughed. "But always knew that everything would be ok in the end."

"Dark-chao will never stop giving us grief." Shadow-chao sighed.

"If he did, things would get boring around here." Sonic-chao chuckled. "Right, buddy?"

"Good point, buddy." Shadow-chao grinned.

"Hey, aren't you two supposed to be rivals?" Sonic asked, confused at the two.

"We are bitter rivals..." Sonic-chao started.

"But the best of friends." Shadow-chao finished.

Sonic stared momentarily at the two, but grinned either way. If Sonic-chao and Shadow-chao, who held a deep hatred for each other, could be best friends, maybe there was some hope for him and Espio. And if it was possible, maybe it would lead him to a solution to rescue Silver. Sonic stood up and took one last look at the happy chao. They were a group of the greatest friend he had ever seen: the perfect family.

"Guess I should be going." Sonic said.

"Where are you going, Sonic." Tails-chao asked.

"I have to go look for my friends." Sonic said. "They're waiting for me somewhere."

"Then we'll be seeing ya." Sonic-chao said. "Remember: you are always welcomed at Chao Garden."

"Come back soon." Knuckles-chao said kindly. "You haven't lived till you've tried my fruit recipes."

"Knuckles-chao makes the best fruit foods around." Cream-chao complimented; Knuckles-chao grinned embarrassingly.

"Then I'll have something to look forward to." Sonic grinned, turning away from the group. "Later."

Sonic walked away in the direction of the page exit. He stopped at the edge and looked back at chao, who were waving their good byes. Sonic waved back before vanishing away. At that same moment, a bright blue star passed over the night sky, the chao stared in awe.

* * *

Back at Shahra's home, the book remained idly on the Arabian decorated table. The book cover suddenly glowed. When the glow disappeared, the book title appeared: "Sonic and the Chao". A picture was always presented along with the title. Sonic was sitting in a field with all of his chao friends playing with him. Dark-chao was seemed floating in the background and Sonic-chao laid on the blue hedgehog's head. The lock that held the book emitted a loud click and vanished. But even though the story was over, Sonic knew this wasn't truly the end. One day soon, he would return to the garden and maybe try some Knuckles-chao's recipes.

* * *

**Every great story has a happy ending. But will Sonic recieve that same ending? And will he be up for the challange that awaits him in Traverse Town? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	30. Gold and Silver

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Twenty-Nine: Silver and Gold

The book, Sonic and the Chao, began to rattle frantically across table. Its pages flew open and a fragment of light cracked through the bindings. Sonic was pushed through the crack and thrown head forward onto the hardwood floor. The book snapped shut in his wake.

"Friendly little book, isn't it?" Sonic said sarcastically.

"Hiya, Sonic." Marine's voice said. "We've been wondering where you been, mate."

Sonic looked over near the door where his friends were all staring at him. His team: Storm, Angel, and Marine, and the ring genie, Shahra. Marine and Angel were sitting on the floor, Shahra was floating over them, and Storm was conked out on the bed. There was a stack of nachos and a pile of tacos on the floor; all of them were wearing sombreros on there heads.

"Uh...did I miss something?" Sonic asked; his brow raised.

"While you were gone, mate." Marine began, topping off her sombrero. "We all went to this great Mexican place for nachos and tacos."

"Though I think Storm overdid it with the hot sauce." Shahra giggled.

Upon closer inspection, one could see Storm's face bright red with his eyes rolled back.

"Glad you all had fun." Sonic pouted. "Me, I'm just fine. I was just sucked into a book, nearly poisoned, and thrown into a world with pint-sized runts!"

"Calm down, Sonic." Angel said soothingly, holding a plate of nachos. "Here, have a nacho. They're really good."

"I guess that's ok. Thanks, Angel." Sonic grinned. As he reached out for the plate, he did a double take. "Angel! You can talk!"

"I could always talk." Angel said; feeling slightly offended. "Either you haven't been listening or the head of yours is emptier than I thought."

"I didn't mean it like that." Sonic groaned.

"While you were gone, I've been teaching Angel how to speak proper English." Shahra explained. She floated over to her table and picked the book off the table. "Hmm. The book seems to be more stable now."

"Maybe it had something to do with that keyhole." Sonic scratched his head. "I saw it while I was leaving the book."

"A book with a keyhole. Truly fascinating." Shahra said interestingly. She floated over to the bookshelf and slipped the book in with her spells. She rounded towards the team. "Now that your mission is complete what will you do next?

"Didn't fuzz-face say something about Hollow Bastion?" Marine asked.

"That's right." Angel nodded. "He said that's where Black Doom is hiding." The pink experiment looked to Shahra. "Do you know anything about it?"

"I know about it; more than I want to know." Shahra said sadly. "Hollow Bastion was once a beautiful and bountiful place. I was an apprentice alongside Silver and Dumbledore when we visited the world. The people were living happily under their wise ruler, Mephiles."

"Mephiles!?" The Sonic Team exclaimed loudly.

"Huh, what happened?" Storm said dazed.

"Mephiles lived on Hollow Bastion?" Angel asked.

"It was a time of prosperity during his rule." Shahra continued. "Our master requested an audience with him. That's when we first met the King. He was only a prince at the time. We all met Mephiles and Zoan with him."

"You met Zoan?" Sonic asked hopefully.

Zoan was the Keyblade Master that came before Sonic. Sonic had admired the unknown hero from the stories he had heard from his travels. And in the most recent event, Sonic recovered a memory of actually have met Zoan, but he was a baby at the time.

"Not personally." Shahra shook. "Our master talked to him before he left. We departed shortly after the King did. That's when everything went wrong."

"What happened?" Storm asked, cushioning his pounding head.

"That's when the heartless first appeared." Shahra explained. Angel and Marine gasped. "The erupted from the castle and plagued its inhabitants. To this day, the heartless use the remains of that world as a fortress."

"A perfect reason why Black Doom would be there." Sonic said.

"Do you know how to get the?" Storm asked, surprisingly serious.

"The only one in town that would know the way would be Omega." Shahra said. "Go to his shop and see if he has his old navigator."

"Thanks for everything, Shahra." Angel said gratefully.

"Anytime, Angel." Shahra smiled. "Just remember: nouns, verbs, and adjectives make a sentence."

They made their way to the door, but not before sneaking a few more tacos. Marine slapped Storm's hand away from the hot sauce. The exited the hidden home and found themselves back in the Third District. It was difficult for Sonic to get used to the town after being in the book for so long. But despite being away for that amount of time, it seemed different. The temperature suddenly dropped; a shiver spread down Sonic's spine

"Do you guys feel that?" Sonic asked.

"Feel what?" Angel asked.

"_They can't feel it._" Sonic thought. "_How can they when it's so cold?_"

"_Because they are not as adapted to the darkness as you._" Dark Sonic responded. Ever since their merge, the two have been able to communicate with each other. "_Due to our merge, you have been given the ability to feel the presence of darkness._"

"_Does that mean the heartless are around?_" Sonic asked.

"_No, this presence is different._" Dark Sonic replied. "_In fact, I don't think this is – behind you!_"

At that, Sonic circled around on his heels. There near the wall, half concealed by the cover of shadow, was a man wearing a long black coat. His easily most distinct feature was the two giant black skulls that replaced his hands. Beneath the hood, Sonic could see three gleaming red eyes. It felt as if they were piercing into his heart.

"Sonic!!" Marine screamed.

He blinked. The moment he did, the hooded figure had vanished. Marine screamed again. Sonic rushed to rejoined his team in the center of the district. It was a terribly bad mistake when he realized for they were soon surrounded by creatures they had never seen before. They were not heartless, but venomous black demonic-looking aliens.

"What are they?" Storm asked, raising his fists. "They don't look like any heartless I've ever seen."

"That's because they're not." Sonic stated, summoning his Dragon Blade. "Heartless usually have those emblems on their chests."

"Whatever they are, they don't look friendly." Angel commented.

"Heads up, mate!" Marine warned. "Here they come!"

The black aliens staggered forward with the rigid claws outwards. The four heroes scattered in separate directions, ducking under the arms of the aliens. Sonic towards the wall. He looked over his shoulder and found three of the aliens chasing after him. He smirked mischievously. The blue Key Master ran up the wall and flipped backwards over the aliens heads. The aliens looked stupefied, not noticing where they were going until they hit the wall. Sonic landed on his feet and spun around with his Keyblade out. It sliced across the aliens waists; the bodies cleaved in two. They didn't vanish like the heartless did.

"Aw, that's sick." Sonic said disgusted; the black alien's venomous green blood leaked onto the ground. "I am going to need therapy after this."

"How about you help us with these guys first!" Angel yelled.

Angel back flipped and knocked an alien by his chin. While the one alien fell back, two more jumped up next to Angel and grabbed her by her arms and legs. She struggled momentarily. She was strong, but nowhere as strong as Stitch. To make up for her weakness, she used her antenna and wrapped them around the alien's throats. They released her, but Angel's grip remained tight. The two died from suffocation while the one alien from earlier dived at her. Angel flipped backwards, and rebounded off the wall. She kicked at the alien's chest, which forced it into the electric pipe on the side wall, where it was electrocuted.

These things are strong." Angel panted. "Where is Stitch when you need him?"

"Who needs a blue koala..." Storm began.

"...when you can have a pair like us." Marine finished.

The remaining members of the black aliens squatted with apprehensive looks on their mouthless faces. They were watching; studying their movements. After watching their comrades die, they weren't about to make the same mistake. Marine hopped onto Storm's shoulders, taking a firm grip on his head feathers, while the grey albatross shunted his shoulder ahead.

"You sure you don't want any help." Sonic asked bored.

"Nah, we can take them!" Marine said eagerly.

"Whatever you say." Sonic said, yawning.

Storm stamped once and rushed forward like a rampaging bull. He plowed against two of the aliens and slammed them into the wall. Only four remained now. Storm turned on the spot and resumed his charge, but the aliens were ready for him this time. The formed a barrier against one another, which stopped Storm in his tracks. Strom was thrown to the ground on his back. As they moved in closer they realized something: Marine was missing.

"Bonza!" Marine cheered.

The aliens craned their heads higher to the point where they saw Marine jumping in midair. The rascally raccoon held out her hand and formed a green orb in her palm. Storm jumped out of the way while the aliens stared stupidly above. In the next second, they were bombarded by a barrage of energy blasts. Not a single trace of the aliens remained by the time Marine landed. Sonic whistled impressively.

"Whoa! When did you learn to do that!" Sonic exclaimed.

"That ring lady taught me a thing or two." Marine giggled.

"What do you think those things were anyway?" Angel asked as she inspected an alien Sonic killed.

I don't know, but I really don't want to find out." Sonic said; he felt a slight shiver down his spine. "The sooner we get to Omega's place, the quicker we can get out of here."

Sonic ran off ahead towards the doors to the first district, leaving the others confused. They gazed to one another and shrugged at their leader's strange behavior. But as they followed, they did not realize they were being watched.

"The black warriors have failed." Black Doom stated, watching the heroes pass through the doors. "Despite your departure, the rat appears to be growing stronger, Silver."

"Don't tell me you're actually afraid of him." The follower smirked.

"I fear nothing!" Black Doom exclaimed. "But if he finds our fortress, he could set our plans back for months."

"Then we'll just have to make sure he doesn't." The follower grimaced.

The Sonic Team walked across the pathways of the First District without seeing anymore black aliens along the way. They entered into Omega's shop, where the titanic red robot was working across the counter.

"Just connect this wire here." Omega mumbled to himself. "Override this circuit and..."

"Cool robot!" Marine yelled boisterously.

Marine's sudden shout accidentally made Omega's claw slip. The project he was working on exploded in his face, which was now covered in ash.

"So much for that." Omega said, tossing the wreck away.

"Sorry, Omega." Sonic apologized sheepishly. "Marine a little overenthusiastic."

"So your name is Marine?" Omega asked the raccoon, who nodded. "I am E-123 Omega. Any friend of Sonic's is a friend of mine." He looked back to the leader of the group. "What is it that I can do for you?"

"We're looking for a specific world." Storm explained. "Have you ever been to Hollow Bastion?"

"Hollow Bastion?!" Omega practically screamed. The heroes jumped for a moment. "Why would you want to go to that wretched place?"

"We believe Black Doom may be using the castle as a fortress." Angel explained. Omega's eyes literally popped out of his head. Angel sighed. "Yes, I can speak perfect English now."

"Hollow Bastion." Omega said, replacing his eyes. "It's been nine years since I've seen that place. I would normally advice to stay away from there, but I don't you would listen. I should have the old navigator. Please wait for a moment."

Omega walked through the curtains that led to the back room. The team decided to rest a bit while they wait. Sonic unceremoniously sprawled himself across the couch, Angel curled in front of the fire, Storm paced back and forth across the floor, and Marine took an interest to the stock. More than once, the team pulled Marine away from the stuff that was clearly label 'You break it, you buy it'. A few minutes later, Omega walked back out. He was carrying a navigator that was twice as big as Silver's

"You don't expect us to carry that, do you?" Sonic as crazily.

"That thing looks ancient." Storm commented. "Exactly how long have you had it?"

"Over fifteen years." Omega answered. "I've never needed a reason to upgrade, seeing as I never travel. This is the only know navigator that contains the location of Hollow Bastion."

"How does it work?" Angel asked.

Unfortunately, they never received an answer. Because the minute she said those words, a small black creature burst through the doors. It had the head of a dragon with the wingspan of a hawk. The heroes were stunned, rooted to the floor, by the alien's sudden appearance. Before they had a chance to react, the black hawk lashed its tail around the navigator and smashed through the window.

"Ever heard of knocking!" Omega roared with his fist raised.

"It's got the navigator!" Sonic exclaimed. "We've got to catch it, c'mon!"

The Sonic Team stumbled through the door, destroying whatever remained of it from the black hawk's attack.

"I'm not paying for that!" Storm announced.

The four turned around the corner twice to the point where the black hawk exited the shop. It was faint, but Sonic was able to catch a glimpse of the black hawk slipping through the crack of the door towards the Second District. The pushed through with immense difficulty. Apparently, the Second District was in worse sharp than before Sonic entered the book. The fountain stopped work, the electricity was dead, and the bell on the tower was now on the hotel roof. They didn't know why, but the tiled floor was dug up between the fountain and the bell tower, exposing a fresh patch of dirt.

"What happened to this place?" Sonic asked. "Didn't any of you see this while I was in the book?"

"The restaurant was in the First District." Angel Explained. "And there was no noise coming from here."

"The important thing is finding the freak on nature." Storm said, his fists clenching.

"I found him!" Marine shouted suddenly; the others nearly jumped out of their fur/feathers. "There, on top of that ginormous building. Hey, is that your silver friend up there?"

The navigator was instantly pushed from Sonic's mind at those words. There, atop the large bell tower, was Silver the Hedgehog, sitting on the edge while leaning against one of the columns. The black hawk was also with him; it dropped the navigator in his hands. He smiled maliciously and stood up, gazing down to the heroes.

"Surprise, surprise." Silver said arrogantly. "I didn't think you what it took to make it this far, Sonic. Looks like I was wrong. Then again, there is a first time for everything."

"Silver, you put that navigator down right now!" Storm roared ferociously. No one took Silver's betrayal harder than him.

"What? This?" Silver asked playfully. "Well, if you insist."

Silver dropped the navigator, but not the way Storm had hoped. Storm, Angel, and Marine scrambled for the navigator, but by the time they reached the spot, it had already hit the ground. The navigator exterior was shattered while the parts were strewed across the ground. Sonic could have easily caught the navigator with the use of his Speed Key. But the blue hedgehog remained idle, staring up to the figure of his former master. How could he have fallen so far from the light?

"That was mean." Marine pouted.

"Welcome to the real world, little girl." Silver said.

"No one calls me a little girl!" Marine flared, flailing her arms.

Without realizing it, Marine released a green orb from her hand, sending flying at Silver. The mystic hedgehog dived away, but the black hawk didn't realize what had happened until it was eradicated.

"Your little friend certainly knows how to handle the Black Arms, Sonic." Silver commented.

"The what?" Sonic asked, snapping from his daze.

"The Black Arms, the army that formerly served Black Doom." Silver explained. "Black Doom was a tyrant..." ("No surprise." Sonic muttered. "...That traveled the far reaches of the universe to purify it."

"Purify; my antenna." Angel mumbled.

"But when Black Doom discovered the heartless, he abandoned this worthless army." Silver continued.

"Then why would they go back to him?" Marine asked curiously.

"They only know one thing: to serve their master." Silver said manically. "Black Doom created them to be the most obedient servants. They have seen the truth: there is no good and evil. Only the strongest survive in this universe."

"Well, they haven't won yet." Angel said pointedly. "We've fought them and defeated everyone one they threw at us."

"But those were only mere soldiers." Silver chuckled lowly. "Now we shall see if you can handle the greatest power the Black Arms has to offer." The grey hedgehog raised his arms to the sky. "Black Bull! Rise and fulfill the wishes of you master!"

At that point, the ground below them began to rumble. The newly exposed dirt began to rise with the heroes standing on top of it. Several feet up off the ground, the heroes quickly jumped up to the roof top of the hotel. Storm accidentally bashed his beak into the bell. The dirt was shoved aside to reveal a black alien longer and taller than the buildings. It resembled a giant maggot with a dragons fangs and one green eye in the center of its head.

"Black Bull, I am your new master!" Silver announced to the creature. "You are given one order: destroy the rat and his friends."

"I'm a hedgehog!" Sonic yelled.

Silver did not listen as he disappeared in a flash of green light. The black bull roared as it flew across the sky, surprisingly, without wings. The four stood ready, but where not expecting what was coming next. The giant monster emitted a gurgling roar in the back of its throat and suddenly spat out a wave of flame. Sonic and Angel jumped away while Marine ducked under the safety of the bell. Storm, just getting his bearings, was hit with full force. The huffed a puff of smoke and fainted.

"And Storm says I have bad breath." Sonic commented.

"Now what?" Angel asked. "Storm is out and Marine is too scared to fight."

"Leave this to me, Angel." Sonic grinned. "After all, I am the Keyblade Master."

Sonic charged ahead; Angel stated. "He's a dead man."

The Black Bull sniffed deeply around the bell, wishing utterly to enjoy the meal inside. It felt a small thud near the center of its back. Sonic bounced off the store walls and run up the giant beast's spine. The Black Bull shook its body rapidly, but Sonic retained a firm grip on its ruff hide. With the monster still shaking, Sonic raised his Dragon Blade and plunged it into its skin. The Black Bull stopped shaking. Sonic immediately wanted to shout in victory, but that idea was tossed aside when it's bulging green eye stared back at him. The Black Bull released yet another torrent of fire from its mouth. Sonic rushed out of the way by performing his Spin Dash off to the side. He uncurled and landed next to Angel.

"Well that didn't work." Sonic stated.

"Of course it didn't." Angel said obviously. "It's body is too fat to cause any real damage. It has to have some kind of weakness."

"Then you better figure out what it is fast!" Sonic panicked. "Because he does not look happy!"

Happy was far from what the Black Bull had on its mind. The giant black alien dove at the two, who rolled to the side, and crashed into the bell tower, crumbling it. Marine was scared out of her wits, but was brave enough to pull Storm back into the First District. It was just the two of the now. Angel bounced off the wall and landed on its head. She tried to use her song when she realized that it didn't have any ears. The Black Bull bucked the pink experiment off. Sonic resorted to kicking it in random parts of its body. But the Black Bull's think skin and bulbous fat only bounced him away like rubber. After one particular kick near its chin, the Black Bull twisted its head, knocked Sonic in his chest. His back hit against the district door; the Black Bull moving in closer for it meal. A fresh wave of terror filled Sonic's every nerve. He completely forgot about the Keyblade, which was lying next to him, and started chucking rocks at it. But some miracle, the rock hit its eye and the Black Bull roared in pain.

"The eye!" Sonic realized. "It's weak point is its eye!"

"But that thing won't let us anywhere near it now!" Angel shouted back. "How can we attack from a distance?!"

"Already covered!" Sonic said confidently. He reached into his quills and pulled out a familiar purple stone. "Spyro, we need you!"

Sonic tossed the stone into the air and watched as it resumed in magnificent glow. In the First District, Marine and Storm could feel themselves being pulled into the stone and disappeared. A second later, Spyro the Dragon appeared before Sonic.

"Hey, pal, what's up?" Spyro asked eagerly.

"A big problem." Sonic nodded. "A _really_ big problem."

Spyro turned around where he met eye-to-eye with the Black Bull.

"Whoa, someone has been overdoing it." Spyro said.

"It's weakness is its eye." Sonic stated. "Think you can hit it from here?"

"Just leave it to me." Spyro said confidently.

He drew up to eye level with the Black Bull, who did not seem at all impressed with the small dragon. It reeled back its head and shot another wave of flames; Spyro did nothing. The flame was halfway near them and Spyro still didn't move. Maybe he was wrong, Sonic thought. What if Spyro didn't have what it too do defeat it. Finally, Spyro was on the offense. He drew up and long winded breath and blew heavily. His breath had turned as cold as ice; icicles emerged from his throat. The icicles were clearly magical as they passed through the flames and turned it to steam. All the icicles formed together and gave the Black Bull one huge stab in the eye. The Black Bull flailed its head, crying, before it dropped dead in the pit it created.

"That was awesome!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Of course." Spyro smirked. "What did you expect?"

A few minutes later, Sonic and the rest of his team made its way to the entrance of the town. The short while in the gem fully restored Storm.

"The navigator is gone and so is our chance of finding Hollow Bastion." Sonic said sadly.

"I still can't believe Silver would betray us like that." Storm sniffed. "He used to be a good friend of mine."

"Silver is nothing more than a traitorous rat!" Angel exclaimed. "I bet he was planning to steal the Keyblade from the beginning."

"Maybe he was just – what's that noise, mate?" Marine asked.

The others heard it too. A loud beeping sound was coming from their Gear. Sonic discovered the source to be from Silver old navigator, but something was different. It was sowing coordinates to a world he had never seen before. A world called...

"Hollow bastion!" Sonic cheered.

"Who sent that?" Angel asked.

"I don't know, but this means good news for us." Sonic said happily. He kicked up his Blue Star and jumped on. "C'mon guys, we've got a world to save and a friend to rescue

The trio nodded and each jumped on their respective Gears.

* * *

Meanwhile, in the castle fortress of Hollow Bastion. Black Doom floated in the empty room; his alien eye showing him images of the Black Bull's defeat. It was no wonder he had abandoned such worthless creatures. Silver and Broly, his last living servant, were ordered to leave Black Doom in peace. Espio was making his way to meet up with the intruder. Black Doom turned his attention towards the shadows of the hallway.

"My warriors have left me." Black Doom spoke. "You may now show yourself."

Appearing out of nowhere, two dark figures emerged. One of them was a gigantic purple dragon not that different from Spyro; only his appearance was much more evil and menacing. The second figure was human with spiky auburn hair and a number of piercings on his face. One of his more notable characteristics was his multilayered eyes. He was wearing a black coat similar to the one that the skull-handed man was wearing

"Some servants." The dragon scoffed. "Your ranks are dying one by one, Black Doom.

"Last I had checked, you forces were all destroyed by a miniscule lizard, Malefor." Black Doom retorted.

"I go by a new name these days." The dragon known as Malefor said. "I am known as the Dark Master in my world."

"Dark Master, how amusing." Black Doom said. "Have you gone by a new name, too, Nagato?"

"I am Pein." The man introduced.

"Very well, Pein, Dark Master." Black Doom said amusingly. "Everything seems to be going according to plan. Silver has betrayed his partners as predicted and now he has located the final princess and the final chaos emerald. The key to the final keyhole is close at hand."

"How can you be so sure the hedgehog can be trusted?" Pein questioned.

"He does appear to be the type that would betray easily" Malefor stated.

"I have already predicted such the occasion." Black Doom said. "Silver is planning to betray me so he can obtain Kingdom Hearts for himself. But he made one fatal flaw: I know. So you have no reason to be concerned."

"I am not worried." Malefor stated. "If your plan fails, I still have Cynder at my side."

"I have felt a different presence in this world recently." Pein said suddenly.

"That would be our intruder." Black Doom informed. "Espio has gone to deal with him."

"I would not underestimate the boy." Pein forewarned. "This jinchuuriki is more defiant than any other I've known."

"You know him?" Malefor questioned.

"We have met on more than one occasion." Pein informed. "He has not defeated me, but he has proven very elusive."

"I will let Espio worry about him." Black Doom said. "For now, we must focus on our current plans."

"You best not fail, Black Doom." Malefor growled. "It was your fault we were banished from the Higher Powers because of you. We demand recompense!"

"And you will have it Malefor." Black Doom glared. "Just be patient."

Malefor growled; puffs of black smoke shooting from his nostrils. With a sneer on his face, Malefor turned and vanished into the darkness. Pein turned to follow when Black Doom addressed him.

"I have noticed your new attire, Pein. You haven't turned your back from the darkness, have you?"

"How can I betray the darkness when I no longer exist?" Pein replied.

And with that, he vanished into the darkness.

* * *

**As the light grows, so does the darkness. Who are these new villians? And who gave Sonic the new path? Find out on the next Kingdom Herats: Sonic Version.**


	31. The Gems of Darkness, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty: The Gems of Darkness, Part 1

The four heroes were found crossing the stars, only a few minutes away from their destination. They had heard many rumors about Hollow Bastion being the home to the Heartless and Black Doom. But to Sonic, it was also the place where he would find Silver and Espio. Sonic had spent most of his time practicing the techniques Silver taught him. He had perfected the wind and fire and slightly improved in water. The only trouble he had was the light.

"Calm down, mate" Marine said soothingly, noticing Sonic's effort. "You don't want to kill yourself before we get there. Then the bad guys won't have any fun."

"This is serious, Marine!" Sonic growled. He was straining to form a chaos spear. "If we're going to fight Silver, we need to be prepared."

"I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Marine." Angel said. "You shouldn't overwork yourself."

"Yeah, but I..." Sonic began.

Hey, guys, we're here!" Storm announced.

They could see it to not far from them. A fragmented world mostly comprised of a massive twisted castle. The towers were tangled together, the pipe jutted from the walls and roof of the castle and a large waterfall could be seen from a distance. Feeling somewhat relieved, Sonic shot down to the new world with his friends behind him. What he didn't was that this wasn't his first time here.

* * *

--**Hollow Bastion--**

The four of them landed on a small island in the middle of the upwards Waterfall.

"Now there's something you don't see everyday." Storm commented on the waterfall.

"I bet Jumba would get a kick out of this." Angel said.

"I Don't think you see that everyday, either." Marine said pointedly.

The others turned to where Angel pointed to the dark castle they saw in space. It towers and sentries twisted and curved into impossible angles. There were hundreds of stained glass windows, each having its own dark symbol. The largest of them was a thirty foot tall black window with the red heartless symbol in the center. The most eerie part was that the shadows around the castle were moving constantly without end. There were ruins that formed a path up to the castle.

"_I don't know why, but I think I've been here before."_ Sonic thought.

Suddenly, the memory of Zoan began to resurface. Sonic couldn't understand why it would just show up now. But his thoughts were brought back down when they heard a sudden noise. It sounded like a roar and a cry of pain.

"What was that?!" Marine exclaimed.

"It sounds like someone is fighting." Storm stated. "And losing."

"Come on!" Sonic shouted. "We have to help them!"

The four heroes jumped up to the path of ruins to reach the next level up. Along the way, Sonic surprisingly found the last twelve dragon eggs he needed. Salla was going to be so happy. As they advanced to the next set of ruins, they could see the outlines of two figures. One of them was smaller than the other. As they moved closer, they could see the smaller figure was...

"Espio!" Sonic cried.

"I remember him." Storm said. "But who's the kid."

"It was only at that moment that Sonic took register of the other figure. He was a human boy no older than fifteen with spiky blond hair. He wore a black and orange jacket with orange pants and black sandal-boots. He had a swirl marker on his left sleeve, a small pack strapped to his right leg, and a case strapped in the back of his belt. The sun gleamed against the leaf marker head band. They had been fighting, but the kid looked ready to fall. Espio, on the other hand, was perfectly calm.

"I am simply amazed." Espio said to the boy. He did not notice that they had an audience. "How could a kid like you make it this far? You didn't use a ship or have any help from the heartless. Tell me, was it that demon's powers that led you here."

"I made it this far..." The kid groaned. "Because I believed in my heart."

"Exactly how old are you?" Espio sniggered.

"Don't laugh!" The kid growled. "When my world was destroyed by those monsters, I lost everything. My friends, my sensei, and even my best friend, Sasuke. But more importantly, I lost Sakura. I have always had feelings for her, but I knew she would never feel the same way as she did for Sasuke. So I made a promise to bring him back, no matter what. But when Sakura was taken, I made a promise that I would rescue her."

"Give it up." Espio scoffed. "There are some promises that can't be kept."

"No!" The kid exclaimed. "I never go back on my word! That's my way of the ninja!"

"Then if you think you have the strength to beat me," Espio grinned. "Then take her if can!"

"Gladly!" The kid roared.

The kid reached into his leg pack and pulled out a sharp kunai. He jumped and raised the kunai over his head. He stabbed down at Espio when he neared the ground, but the chameleon was already ahead of him. He flipped back as the kid stabbed the ground. He quickly summoned his Soul Eater blade and leapt forward before the kid could react. What happened next was too fast for Sonic or the others to see. All they knew was in the end, the kid was lying on the ground, his shoulder bleeding.

"How pathetic." Espio smirked as he stepped forward. "You would actually think a demon brat like you would stand a chance against the darkness."

"Don't call me that." The kid groaned.

"It won't matter in a moment." Espio said, raising his Soul Eater. "Now, surrender to the darkness."

He swiftly brought his Soul Eater down when a sudden flash passed by him. Sonic had stepped up and used his Keyblade to halt his former friends attack. Espio didn't really put up much of a fight, which made it easy for Sonic to push him back. Storm, Marine, and Angel joined him a moment later. Espio seemed uncaring about their appearance.

"I can't believe you would stoop so low, Espio." Sonic growled.

"I was wondering when you would show up." A second later, Silver jumped down next to Espio. "I was beginning to worry you wouldn't make."

"Silver, why would you do this?" Sonic questioned. "I once respected you. How could you change so much?"

"You're one to talk." Espio cut in. "You think your so special, just because the Keyblade chose you."

"But that was a mistake." Silver commented.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"The Keyblade was never meant to be Sonic's." Silver stated clearly. "When you heartless arrived on the Island, the Keyblade departed to reach its master. But by the time it arrived, he had already left. So, it went for the next best thing."

"That's a lie!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Then let's put it to the test." Silver said. "Let the Keyblade decide its true master!"

At that instant, Espio held out his hand to the Keyblade. Sonic felt a sudden lurch from the Keyblade as if it was trying to escape from him. Sonic tried to reel it back to himself, but the Keyblade did not give up without a fight. then suddenly, it flashed out of his hand and reappeared in Espio's. The group stared in shock, but Silver and Espio didn't seem surprised.

"Black Doom was right." Espio said, admiring his new weapon. "You don't have what it takes to save Amy. Only the true Keyblade Master can open the door and change the world."

"But – it can't – I fought my way here with the Keyblade!" Sonic sputtered.

"You were just the delivery boy." Espio smirked evilly. "You should be used to it by now. As a tip, you can go play with this."

Espio threw a wooden sword they used to play with back on the Islands to Sonic's feet. Sonic feel to his hand and knees in disbelief. Was all this for nothing? All the adventures, all the battles he went through, was it all really just to lead up to this? Angel and Marine kneeled down to calm him, but Storm remained unmoving. He was staring at Silver and the hedgehog stared back.

"Time to go, Storm." Silver said.

"Wha?" Storm questioned.

"You have to remember your mission." Silver stated. "Who does your loyalty lie with: the king or the rat?"

"I have always been loyal to the king! But..." Storm said slowly. He turned and stared sadly at the bleu hedgehog. Was he really willing to turn his back on his friend for the Keyblade? The albatross sighed deeply and turned. "Sonic, I'm sorry."

Sonic could believe it. He had always considered Storm to be one of his closest friends. Marine and Angel were also shocked and shouting insults at the albatross's back. But Sonic said nothing. Though he still had Marine and Angel, he never felt more alone. He lost his Espio, Silver, Storm, and most importantly, Amy.

"Sonic, you ok, mate?" Marine asked in concern.

"Of course, he's not!" Angel yelled. "He's hurt really badly."

"It doesn't matter." Sonic said in a hollowed voice. "Let's just get out of here. There's no reason for us to be here anymore."

The young females had never seen Sonic this depressed before. He slowly stood up with a hopeless expression on his face. He turned back to the direction towards the Gear when they heard something. It sounded like a painful grunt. In all the calamity, they had completely forgotten the boy lying on the ground. He had dragged himself up to his feet, but fell to his knees after the first step, clutching his shoulder.

"Don't move." Angel warned as she ran over to him. "You're badly hurt."

"Heh, it's nothing I can't handle." The kid said with a pained grin. "Why are you guys here anyway?"

"We're here to save someone." Sonic said before he remembered. "At least, we thought we were."

"So your just going to give up that easily?" The kid scoffed. "What a loser."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic growled. "What am I supposed to do? I can't fight the heartless without the Keyblade."

"Yeah, right." The kid said sarcastically. "That's like saying I couldn't fight without chakra. I learned one thing when I was battling Neji. It isn't your power that makes you strong; it's the strength of your heart."

"That's exactly what you said before, mate." Marine said to Sonic.

That's right, he had said that before. He had told everyone that as long as he had his friends, he could never fail. Why should that change because he doesn't have the Keyblade? He still had Angel and Marine. He walked over and picked up the toy sword that Espio dropped.

"That's right; I am here to find someone." Sonic said proudly. "And as long as I have Marine and Angel with me, not even Espio can stop me."

"And you have me, too." The kid said with a foxy grin. "The name's Naruto Uzumaki, the next hokage."

"I have no idea what a hokage is, but welcome aboard, Naruto." Sonic said.

Sonic held out his hand and Naruto grabbed it to shake. A new friendship formed; Sonic and his new team chased after Espio and the traitorous Babylonians. They reached the top level of the upward waterfall, but found that the path had ended. They searched around, hoping to find some kind of switch. It wasn't until Angel stepped up to the arch that they noticed a golden platform form out of nowhere. They stepped onto the platform, which carried them towards the castle. Naruto pulled off his jacket to look at his wound, which had healed at an alarming rate.

"Whoa, how'd ya do that, mate?!" Marine asked excitedly.

"I not sure why, but I think I can trust you." Naruto said, replacing his jacket. "When I was born, a demon attacked the village I lived in. it was the nine-tailed fox. No one could kill it. So, the fourth Hokage sacrificed himself to seal it inside me. ever since then, I have been treated like the demon itself. Parents usually kept everyone away from me, so never had any friends."

"That's terrible." Angel gasped.

"It was for a while." Naruto said smiling. "But then finally, someone accepted me. Iruka knew about the fox, but still treated me like a son. Then I started making other friends: Kiba, Shikamaru, Chouji, Sasuke, and Sakura."

"You were talking about her earlier." Sonic said. "Is she special to you?"

"I love her." Naruto said. "But she's in love with Sasuke, even after he left. I cared about her so much, I made a promise. I promised I would bring Sasuke back, even if I died trying. I never go back on my word. That's my way of the ninja."

Sonic was truly amazed. He would be willing to throw away his own life to make sure the one he loved was happy. He may posses a demon, but his heart was the purest of anyone's. It was a wonder why the Keyblade didn't choose him as its master. But before he even had a chance to voice his thoughts, the platform had stopped. The four stepped off the platform, which disappeared a moment later. They found themselves face with a gigantic bronze door that served as the entrance of the castle.

"Can it really be that easy?" Sonic questioned suspiciously.

"Who cares?!" Naruto said excitingly. "We got to catch up to that guy and save Sakura!"

But in all the excitement, Naruto failed to notice the moving shadows under his feet. A moment later, twelve Neo Shadows formed a wall to stop the fox boy. One swiped its claw at him, but Naruto flipped back in rank with the others.

"That was a close one." Naruto stated.

"Next, look before you leap." Angel scowled.

The heartless jumped and the heroes scattered. Each of the took three. Sonic tried to fend them off with his wooden sword, but the plank hardly did any damage.

"I really wish I had the keyblade right about now!" Sonic panicked.

In the meanwhile, Angel leapt over one of the heartless head, grabbing its neck by her antenna. She landed and tossed the heartless over her head and into another heartless. Another Neo Shadow runs up behind her, but the pink experiment back flips over its head. She kicks it in the back of its head, sending it crashing into its partners. Angel takes a second to land before she kicks up again and push the three Neo shadows over the edge.

"Hagegeba!" Angel cheered. It was a moment later she realized what she said. "I need more lessons."

Meanwhile, Marine was dealing with her own group of heartless. The rascally raccoon was slippery; the heartless scrambled left and right just to keep up with her. She even ran up the wall without even realizing it. The heartless jagged mouths dropped as Marine ran off the wall and upside-down on a smoking cloud. Still without realizing it, Marine walked off the cloud and fell on top of the heartless heads. The heartless groaned with a weep and vanished back into the shadows.

"Wow; that was easy." Marine cheered.

Naruto, on the other hand, was much more serious about the task at hand. He heel kicked one of the heartless in the chin, while fisting another in the face. One of the Neo Shadow's grabbed him around the back, but the fox boy was not an easy one to trap. As another shadow reached out with his claws, Naruto flipped up so that the heartless killed its partner. Once free, Naruto grabbed the shadow by its wrist and flung it into his partner. Both disappeared by the force of the impact.

"Never underestimate me!" Naruto roared.

Back to Sonic. The blue hedgehog flipped backwards as the heartless came at him for a sixth time. One other them jumped into the air to catch him off guard, but he jumped away to the side. too bad that's what they had planned. When he jumped away, the other two grabbed him by his arms and legs, making him immobile. The single heartless pulled its claw out from the ground and rounded towards Sonic. it drew closer with each menacing step. It lifted its claw. At that moment, for no reason whatsoever, Sonic sneeze. But lucky enough, the sneeze turned into a fireball, which charred the Neo Shadow.

"Hey, I still have my elemental powers!" Sonic cheered. "Thank you, Silver!"

Sonic started to gather a high amount of wind in his right palm, which frightened the heartless holding him. once it had released him, Sonic forced his signature move into the face of the left heartless.

"SONIC WIND!" Sonic yelled.

Sonic forced it into the heartless skull; the shadow's body was destroyed from the inside out. Only one was left. The Neo Shadow tried to force its arms around his body, but the blue hedgehog ducked to avoid it. Seeing the perfect opening, Sonic curled into a ball and performed his famous spin dash attack. It crashed into the heartless chest and ripped it to shreds. Unfortunately, Sonic never did master the ability to stop himself in midair. Sonic whizzed over the arch, around two columns, off of Naruto's head, and face first into the bronze door. Angel, Marine, and Naruto had to scrape the poor hedgehog off the door with a random shovel they just happened to find.

"That had to hurt." Naruto commented.

"More than you know." Sonic murmured, rubbing down his aching head.

"At least we made it to the door." Angel stated. "That's something, right?"

"No doubt Espio will be expecting us." Sonic stated. "If any of you want to turn back now, I won't blame you."

"Forget it, mate." Marine said eagerly. "This is ever adventurers dream: to go where no adventurer has gone before."

"And I chose to stay with you even when I found Stitch and Jumba." Angel said kindly. "And will stay with you until the end."

"Thanks, guys...uh, girls." Sonic corrected himself.

"You have some good friends, Sonic." Naruto grinned. "Now let's go save our friends."

Filled with confidence, the four heroes nodded. They pressed their hands together against the bronze door and pushed it open. or at least that's what they were trying to do. The door simply refused to move. Most of them put their backs and shoulders against the door, but it didn't even budge. And within five minute, they flopped, panting.

"Well, we just wasted two minutes of drama for nothing." Sonic whined.

"How...did...they...do it...mate?" Marine panted heavily.

"You would have to be as strong as Storm to get through something like that." Angel said.

"It would take a hundred of us to get in." Sonic said impossibly.

"A hundred?" Naruto repeated. He quickly donned a devious grin. "Well, why didn't ya say so? I know just the thing for this."

"And just what exactly could you do?" Sonic asked exasperatedly.

"Prepared to be amazed." Naruto said. He stuck out two fingers on each hand and crossed them together. "Shadow clone –"

But before he even had a chance to finish his sentence, Naruto was hit across the head and slammed into the wall. The attacker was a new heartless that Sonic and the others had never seen before. The attacker was a buff, black heartless wearing blue knight's armor with the heartless emblem on its chest. It didn't have eyes, but its shield had three, which had the face of a dog. Marine and Angel jumped up in defense while Sonic summoned up his Keyblade. Only it didn't come to him.

"I keep forgetting I don't have it anymore." Sonic said to himself.

So, Sonic resorted to using his toy sword, knowing it wouldn't be much help. The new heartless, which Sonic dubbed Defender, jabbed its shield forward at the anthros and experiment. They scattered, just as the shield slammed into the bronze door, leaving an imprint. The shield snorted; the Defender heartless shook its head ruggedly. Marine, being her daring, adventurous self, stepped up for the first time. Marine held her open palms to the Defender and fired two orbs of green energy. Unfortunately, the dog head of the shield eat the orbs in one gulp; the main body burped.

"I don't think that was supposed to happen." Marine sweat dropped.

"Haven't you noticed something weird about that shield?" Angel asked.

"Like what?" Sonic asked.

"What ever that shield does; the heartless reacts." Angel explained. "Maybe if we get that shield away from it, we could defeat it."

"That's a good idea," Sonic said impresses. "But how are we supposed to get it away from him."

Unfortunately, Angel didn't have any idea. The Defender charged with his shield in front. Marine dived away, quickly followed by Sonic and Angel. The Defender's shield destroyed the arch, meaning their was no way for them to go back. Sonic tried to grabbed the shield while its back was turned, but the Defender was smarter then it let on. It swung its shield around in a circle, bashing Sonic in the side of the head. Sonic was thrown over the edge, but luckily grabbed the rail just in time. The defender moved in closer for the kill. Angel jumped on its head and used her antenna to pry the shield away. Unfortunately, the Defender's grip was too strong for the fluffy experiment. It grabbed Angel by the head and threw her to the wall. With Sonic at its feet, there was nothing to stop it from killing the hedgehog. Well, almost nothing.

"Hey!" The Defender looked over its shoulders and found that Naruto was back on his feet. "You think your so tough! Let's see how tough you really are!" Naruto once again crossed his fingers. "Shadow Clone Jutsu!"

The fox boy was covered in a shroud of smoke the moment he uttered those words. Everyone, even the Defender, waited apprehensively for the smoke to clear. The Defender most likely wish it didn't. when the smoke had cleared, there was not one, but five Naruto's.

"Awesome!" Marine cheered.

"Amazing." Angel said in awe.

"An true spectacle of power and talent." Sonic commented. Everyone stared. "I watched a lot of TV with Uncle Chuck."

"It's on!" The Naruto's yelled.

The five Naruto's swarmed circled around the Defender; the body and shield looking in two different directions. With it confused, one of the Naruto's threw a kunai and stabbed the body's hand. This forced the Defender to release the shield. Three Naruto's slide underneath the Defender, kicking it into the air. **(U-Zu-Ma-Ki! The clones yelled)** The three disappeared in a puff of smoke while the real Naruto jumped of another clone's back; the clones disappeared. He flips in the air and kicks the Defender over the head.

"Naruto Barrage!" Naruto yells.

The Defender fell hard. It was lucky that the heartless fell on its shield, crushing it underneath its girth. With the shield gone, the Defender followed suite. Naruto landed on his feet and clapped his hands for a job well done.

"That was tight!" Sonic commented, pulling himself up.

"Where did you learn to do that?" Marine asked, jumping on the balls of her feet.

"It's nothing." Naruto said gloatingly "Any super cool ninja can do it. I just happen to be the bets."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sonic shrugged. "Just get those clones of yours to open the door."

Naruto grumbled under his breath, but ultimately followed. He crossed his fingers again and performed the same technique. This time, however, the cloud of smoke nearly suffocated them. When the smoke cleared Sonic and the girls could have sworn that jaws dropped through the floor when they were faced with over a hundred Naruto's. The ninja clones pushed against the door together and succeeded to push it open. When the door was wide enough, the Naruto clones vanished and the real Naruto stood and the opening.

"That's a really handy." Angel commented.

"Come on, everyone's waiting." Sonic said seriously.

And with that, they entered the castle doors.

* * *

The scene changes to the top of the castle. Black Doom glided into a church-like room with a blood red carpet path. The hall was dark and lit barely by the three crystal cases on each side of the room. Each of the cases contained a female inside. But Black Doom didn't seem interested in them. Instead, he glided over to the floating black case in the middle of the hall. The figure sleeping inside was soon to be discovered as Amy Rose. Black Doom placed an ashen hand against the case.

"You heart has not returned to you yet." Black Doom said. "But do not fear. Silver will find it eventually."

The cruel master floated up to top of the stairs where he sneered deviously. A gigantic golden arch machine shaped like a heart stretch to the top of the room at the end of the hall. There were seven holes in the structure of the arch. The inside of the arch was composed of the purest darkness in the universe. Black Doom turned to the six cases.

"Hear me purest of Hearts." Black Doom chanted. "I have collected you and you shall provide your powers. Rui of Orre, Zelda of Hyrule, Ember of the Dragon Realms, Katara of the Avatar World, Keira of the Precursors, and Sakura of the Hidden Leaf. Together you will reveal the final Keyhole! Show me the way to Kingdom Heart!"

The chant had work. The six lights radiated from the females chests and phased through the crystal cases. The lights shaped themselves into the form of six different colored gems: purple, white, yellow, green, blue, and light-blue. The six gem lodged themselves into the holes of the golden arch. Black Doom laughed, but was not away that he was being watched.

"Foolish mortal." The brown cloaked figure said. "He truly believes he can comprehend the power of Kingdom Hearts."

"You once did."

The brown cloaked figure turned and founded himself faced with a figure wearing a black coat. But judging by his hands, he wasn't the one that attacked Traverse Town. Normally, people would be on guard of a shrouded figure. But the cloaked figure laughed.

"This is truly a spectacle." The cloaked figure said amusingly. "I believe this is the first time we have met face-to-face."

"I have just learned of your plans." The coat figured said. "I must applaud your genius. But it could prove to be a threat to what our organization is working towards."

"Do you intend to stop me then?" The cloaked figure questioned.

"I cannot." The coat figure said. "It would be too awkward if I were to kill myself. Besides, we have other things to worry about."

"The Keyblade Masters?" The cloaked figure questioned.

"The young ones are of no threat to us." The coat figure said. "But the king and you-know-who are still out there."

"I shall keep watch then." The cloaked figure said seriously.

And with that, both figures disappeared into the darkness.

* * *

**The chaos emeralds are revealed and the door is nearly open! Will Naruto's strength be enough to help our heroes? Who are the two hooded figures? And who are the two they fear? find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	32. The Gems of Darkness, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-one: The Gems of Darkness, Part 2

Sonic, Naruto, Marine, and Angel finally enter the castle of Hollow Bastion shortly after their victory against the Defender. They entered a two story room that held a golden sparkling chandelier and a fountain mouth that spat out pure spring water into the pool below. To the far left, Sonic could see a door past the line of columns.

"Bonza!" Marine exclaimed; Sonic and the others nearly jumped out of their skin. "This place is amazing."

"And a little suspicious." Naruto said usually serious. "Watch out. They could be anywhere."

"Hey, we're fine." Sonic assured them. "All we've got to do is keep or guard up."

Marine and Angel nodded in agreement as they followed Sonic into the room. Naruto was prepared to follow them when...

"Naruto?" Said a female voice.

"Sakura?!" Naruto exclaimed in surprise.

He turned around toward the entrance they came from; his mouth fell wide. Sonic and the girls, hearing Naruto's yell, also turned to the direction of the door. They found a pink haired girl standing at the gap in the entrance.

"_Sonic, it's a trick!_" Dark Sonic mentally shouted. "_Don't let her fool you!_"

But Sonic's didn't to listen to his dark counterpart. Naruto looked on the brink of tears as he edged closer to his love.

"Sakura." Naruto gasped. "I can't believe I found you." But the closer she was, the more Naruto realized something was wrong. Then suddenly, Sakura was transformed into a shadow heartless. Naruto was more than pissed. His eyes became red and slitted as a sudden red energy began to consume his body. "GRR...I'LL KILL YOU!!

The fully enraged Naruto leapt at the heartless and crushed it beneath his palm. But before he could realize it, the doors slammed behind him.

"So much for staying on guard." Angel said exasperatedly.

"I didn't think you would make it this far."

Espio appeared behind them with Silver and the reluctant Storm. It may have been his imagination, but Silver looked worried.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Espio." Sonic growled.

"Oh, don't worry, I'm not." Espio grinned. "I was hoping I would get the chance to finish you myself. Now unless you want to die, I would suggest you leave this castle immediately."

"Not a chance!" Sonic exclaimed. "I'm not going anywhere without Amy!"

"You were always such a fool." Espio sniggered. A sudden wave of darkness surrounds him and disappears just as quick. Espio was now wearing a dark blue suit the covered every portion of his body. A tattered white cape hung from his waist and the heartless symbol stamped on his chest. "You are nothing without the Keyblade. The darkness will destroy you."

"You're wrong!" Sonic stated unnerving. "The darkness can destroy my body, but it can never touch my heart." He placed a hand on Marine and Angel's shoulders. "My heart will always be alive inside my friends. It will never die!"

"Oh yeah!" Espio said challengingly. "Let's just put your little theory to the test!"

Espio thrust his hand forward, emitting a single dark orb from it. Marine and Angel tried to block it, but Sonic pushed them back for safety and covered them with his body. They pleaded with him to run away, but he remained unmoving. As Sonic waited for his end, he was amazed to find that the only thing he could think about was Amy. If she was right here, he would tell her how much she meant to him. Look's like that's not going to happen now.

"What are you doing?!" Espio suddenly yelled.

There was a sudden screech and a minuscule thud. Sonic jerked his eye open and realized he wasn't dead. They all looked up and saw that they were surrounded by a transparent field. Sonic turned around and found that the fields creator was...

"Silver?" Sonic gasped.

"Sorry, Sonic's not going anywhere." Silver stated firmly.

"Silver, what are you doing?" Sonic asked in shock. "I thought that..."

"I betrayed you?" Silver cut in. "That was what you were supposed to think." The group looked confused. "I'm sorry for deceiving you, but it was the only way for Black Doom to trust me. I pretended to turn against you guy so I could learn Black Doom's true intentions. It may not have looked like it, but I have been helping you along the way."

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"Angel, you can talk in complete sentences?" Silver chuckled. "Anyway, how do you think you obtained the communicator and the coordinates? I snuck into the castle and tracked its location for you."

"You would dare betray you king?" Espio questioned. "For a piece of trash like him?"

"Not on your life." Silver said. "But I would never betray Sonic. He's not only my apprentice, he also...my best friend."

"Thanks...Silver." Sonic said gratefully.

"Hey, Storm!" Silver called to his friend. "You coming or what?"

Storm smiled happily and blundered past Espio to join them. The stopped ad Sonic's right side next to Marine while Silver stood to his left with Angel. Even without the Keyblade, Sonic felt pretty strong.

"Look's like you stuck with us." Storm grinned.

"Thanks guys." Sonic grinned.

"So you have you little troupe together, big deal." Espio said irritantly. "You five are still no match for me. You don't even have a weapon, Sonic."

"I know now I don't need the Keyblade." Sonic said confidently. "I have a better weapon: my heart!"

"You heart!" Espio said in a roar of laughter. "You have been reading too many fairy tales. What can that weak little thing do for you?"

"My heart may be weak, but it's not alone." Sonic said. "It's grown with each new experience and found a home in all the friends I've made. I've become a part of their hearts as they've become a part of mine. And if they remember me, if they don't forget me, then our hearts will be one." Silver, Storm, Angel, and Marine smiled proudly at him. "I don't need the Keyblade! My friends are my power!"

"What a touching little speech." Espio said monotone; he raised the Keyblade. "But I'm afraid it will take a lot more than a few words to defeat me."

Sonic couldn't have agreed with him anymore. With a smirk spread across his face, Sonic held his open palm towards Espio. At that moment, Espio knew something was wrong. Before he could stop it, the Keyblade was in Sonic's hands.

"What?!" Espio exclaimed. "What happened?!

"It's known as the Keyblade of Light." Silver explained. "It will only accept a master whose hearts is pure. You heart has been tainted with too much darkness. I knew it was only a matter of time before it returned to Sonic."

Espio gasped horridly, not believing what had just happened. He stared at his hands, the hands that once held such a miraculous weapon. But Black Doom assured him it was his. How could he lose it to someone like Sonic? It a storm of rage, Espio summoned his Soul Eater. A dark presence erupted from the evil blade, chilling everyone down to the bone.

"I've had enough!!" Espio screeched insanely. "If the Keyblade can't be mine, then no one shall have it!"

Sonic gripped the Keyblade for life as Espio came charging in. All of a sudden, the dark chameleon jumped into the air; his feet kicked against the ceiling. He whipped his blade around and stabbed it into the ground; the heroes scattered when Espio came close. The force of the strike formed a scar into the floor that reached from one end of the room to the other.

"That'll leave a mark." Sonic commented.

Marine foolhardily waved her hands wildly and shot a number of green orbs from her palms. Espio swift and severe, lashed his Soul Eater across the orbs with pinpoint accuracy, evaporating them. Marine was too wild with her blasts that she didn't realize she was getting closer to him until she was in his face. Espio kicked the young raccoon in the face and knocked her down to the ground. Espio raised his Soul Eater and nailed into at Marine, But Angel jumped and pulled her away in time to save her. The pink experiment swerved past Espio's constant slashes and locked herself onto his shoulder. Espio tossed and turned to push her away, but Angel remained firm. Then she started singing in his ear. From their previous battle with Zant, Sonic knew that Angel's song had the ability to change people. It was working. Espio started staggering and calming. But then...

"You really think that would work on me?!" Espio cackled. "I am the ultimate darkness!"

Espio summoned another torrent of darkness that lashed Angel away from him. Silver jumped up and caught her before setting her down. Storm charged like a bull towards Espio with his head low. But to their surprise, Espio merely held out his hand and halted Storm in his tracks. In a surprising feat of strength, Espio actually raised Storm and tossed him up to the chandelier. The Albatross was hanging upside-down as Espio laughed. But the laughter died down when Silver jumped in and tossed a horde of chaos spears. Espio twirled his Soul Eater, which formed a shield to block the attack. Silver touched down, but Espio had somehow moved in front of him in under five seconds. The chameleon jabbed his fist into Silver stomach; the grey hedgehog spurt out crimson blood from his mouth.

"You're pathetic." Espio murmured, Allowing Silver to drop to his knees. "You had you're one chance to save yourself and you wasted it."

"The only thing I wasted was my time with you." Silver moaned weakly.

"Such a pity one such as you should die." Espio smirked as he raised his Soul Eater. "Ah well, him to his own ends."

Espio took a vertical swipe at the hedgehog's head, but a blur came out of nowhere and blocked it. Sonic lifted up his Keyblade and turned to a stand off with his former friend.

"You forget someone?" Sonic said. "You still have me to deal with."

"You don't stand a chance, Sonic." Espio grunted. "You were always a loser. Nothing has changed."

"You're wrong." Sonic growled. "I'm strong than I've ever been."

"Well, we'll just see about that." Espio said.

Sonic pushed back and Espio back-flipped to the center of the room. Sonic jumped and clashed his blade with Espio and was thrown back. Espio swung left and right, but Sonic mimicked his movements. Sonic aimed for his legs, but Espio kickflipped over his rivals head and landed behind him. Once he touched ground, Espio swung back with his Soul Eater. Sonic, familiar to Espio's fighting style, raised his Keyblade behind his back to stop the evil blade from severing his neck. Sonic spun around and pushed Espio away. Espio came up again, but this time, he did it in a different fashion. He spun around on his heels like a top and outstretched his blade arm. Sonic was slightly nerved by Espio's sudden change and did his best to hold him back. Sonic was able to block most of them, but one of Espio's attacks sliced itself across his shoulder. With his guard down, Espio kicked Sonic back to the fountain; the hedgehog holding his bleeding shoulder.

"What were you saying?" Espio grinned. "Something about you being stronger?"

"It's not over yet." Sonic groaned, pushing himself to his feet. "I'm just getting warmed up."

"Please." Espio rolled his eyes. "If that kid couldn't defeat me alone, how could you?"

"Because he's not alone!"

Espio turned on the spot where he witnessed Angel kicking him in the chest. The force of the kick pushed him up off the ground, where Marine skidded under. She held out her open palm and fired two green orbs at his back. Espio was nearly to the ceiling when he regained his stance. Storm, finally down from the chandelier, held his hands out for Sonic to jump up. Sonic kicked off towards Espio, who brandished his blade. But it was suddenly knocked out of his hands by Silver's chaos spear. Defenseless, Espio could only stare as Sonic brought down his Keyblade.

"Game over, Espio!" Sonic cried.

The Keyblade made contact and Espio was shot into the crack he made earlier. Espio jumped to his feet, his shoulder aching from where Sonic hit. But just when he was ready to go again, his armor and Soul Eater faded. He was defeated.

"You may have the darkness, Espio." Sonic said, joined by his friends. "But I have something better: my friends.

"Th-this isn't over, S-Sonic." Espio panted.

With the last of his strength, Espio fled.

"We won!" Marine cheered.

"We beat him!" Angel also cheered.

"I always believed in you, Sonic." Storm said apologetically.

Of all of Sonic's friends, Silver was the only one who didn't join in the celebration. He stood in front of the fountain, staring at his reflection in the water. Sonic knew he was still feeling bad for betraying them. Sonic walked over next to Silver.

"Hey." Sonic said feebly. "So...great fight, huh?"

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you." Silver said in a hollow voice. "I did a terrible thing. I can't understand how Blaze ever loved me."

"Hey!" Sonic exclaimed. "Stop that, all right. The important thing is, you did the right thing."

"He's right you know."

Sonic and the gang turned to the door, which finally opened, to reveal Naruto.

"Hey, you're back!" Marine cheered.

"I kinda lost my temper back there." Naruto said sheepishly. "But from what I heard, you guys put up a good fight."

"It was one of the more difficult fights I've ever had." Sonic said.

"I'm not surprised." Naruto said. "Your heart was strong. You could never lose with that."

Sonic grinned broadly at the compliment. With the gang of six back together again, they followed the trail up the stairs where Espio had departed. But unfortunately, the door was chained magically by the darkness.

"Man, he works fast." Storm commented.

"Hmm." Silver said thoughtfully. He inspected the chains around the door, using his magic to get a better insight. He stood up and said. "These chains are bound my dark magic. If we can find the four emblem pieces, it should open."

"Then let's split up." Sonic suggested. "Search the whole area for those pieces."

The group nodded and scattered. Silver used his magic, Angel climbed along the walls, Naruto used his clones, and Marine and Storm were just tearing everything in sight. But Sonic on the other hand, made his way towards the door on the left. The moment he entered, Sonic gazed in awe at the immense library he had just entered.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed. "Howl would have a field day in this place!"

He walked past the seemingly endless rows of bookshelves, occasionally looking at the contents. There must have been a book for everything. He reached the end of the room, which contained a single table. All of a sudden, Sonic's head was exploding. He could hear voices from every direction, all saying the same words.

"..._the emerald master...the chosen wielders...the four keys..._"

Then everything went black.

* * *

Sonic groaned as he tossed his head awake. He stood up, still inside the library, only it was different. The castle seemed lighter and devoid of any evil. The selves and furniture seemed to gleam in the bright sunlight leaking through the windows. This was defiantly not the castle he entered. Suddenly, there was a loud cry. Sonic turned on his heels and found himself faced with a woman walking directly at him. They were about to hit when something unexpected happened: she passed through him.

"That was weird." Sonic said, touching his solid chest.

"Don't cry, little one." The woman said. "It won't be so bad."

Sonic turned and got a first look at the woman. She was a beautiful violet hedgehog with flowing hair wearing a gleaming white dress. She was staring at the bundle of blankets in her arms, which Sonic could guess was her baby. She sighed and groaned as she sat at the chair near the table. There were dark shadows under her eyes, like she hasn't slept in days. The baby wailed.

"Shh, please little one." The woman said. "Maybe a story would cheer you up."

As if it understood, the baby stopped. The woman smiled proudly down upon her child.

"This is a tale of light and darkness." The woman began. "Long ago, people lived in peace. Everyone loved the light. Then people began to fight over it and darkness was born in their hearts. The darkness spread, swallowing the light and many people's hearts. It covered everything, and the world disappeared."

The baby cried again. Sonic could tell how, but the baby understood the story as much as he did.

"Don't cry, child." The woman said softly. "Small fragments of light survived...in the hearts of children. With these fragments of light, children rebuilt the lost world. It's the world we live in now. But the true light sleeps, deep within the darkness. Someday, a door to the innermost darkness will open. And the true light will return. Even in the deepest darkness, there will always be a light to guide you. Believe in the light, and the darkness will never defeat you."

"Aleena!" A new voice called. "It's time!"

The child cried again, this time joined by its mother. She held her baby close to her, not wanting to leave him.

"I'm sorry, but it's for the best." Aleena gasped. "I love you, Sonic."

At that moment, Sonic knew who they were. The baby was him and the woman was his mother. For fifteen years, Sonic had wondered who his parents were and now he found her. He wanted to call out to her, to touch her, but she seemed to be moving farther away. His mother was gone and a voice echoed into the darkness.

"_...Sonic...sonic..._"

* * *

"SONIC!!"

Sonic snapped up. He was back at the library, but without his mother. Instead, Marine was hanging over him with a worried expression.

"What happened?" Sonic groaned.

"You passed out, mate." Marine explained. "I came to tell you that fox boy found the last piece. We're ready to open the door."

"That's good." Sonic said, not at all cheerful.

"You ok, mate." Marine asked worried.

"I've been better." Sonic said depressingly.

As he followed Marine out of the library, Sonic took one last look at the table, the last place he met his mother. She never wanted to give him up, but had no other choice. It was the heartless, they were the cause of both their grief. When Sonic and Marine returned with the rest of the group they were already placing the emblem together. It took the form of the heartless symbol and the chains flew off. As the flung open Sonic focused on his mission: Save his friends and take back his home.

* * *

Meanwhile, back at the gathering chamber, Espio stumbled into the chamber with his shoulder aching furiously. He tripped on his own feet and fell facedown onto the tiled floor. He didn't pick himself up. How could he, Espio, the ultimate fighter of Destiny Island, lose the Keyblade to Sonic, a nobody?

"I don't understand." Espio coughed, pushing himself up. "The Keyblade was mine. I am its rightful master."

"It would never accept you."

Espio jumped to his feet and turned. He came face-to-hood with the brown cloaked figure that appeared to his on Destiny Island. He was more menacing than last time; an aura of darkness surrounded his movements.

"What are you talking about?" Espio questioned.

"The Keyblade of Light only accepts a master whose heart is strong and true." The figure spoke. "You heart was too filled with darkness for the light to accept."

"What?!" Espio exclaimed. "Are you saying my hearts weaker than Sonic's?!"

"For that instant, it was." The figure stated. "But there is another power, one far stronger than the Keyblade." Espio stared hopefully at the figure. "I thought that might interest you. I can see it, a power resonating within you. You showed no fear in stepping through the door to darkness. It held no terror for you. That is the power you desire."

"How do I get it?" Espio asked seriously.

"It's really quite simple." The figure said pleasantly. "Open yourself to darkness, that is all. Let your heart, your being, become darkness itself."

And he did, Espio willingly gave himself to the darkness. The same aura that surrounded the cloaked figure was now circulating with Espio. The chameleon felt a strange surge of power like he had never dreamed before. This was his chance. It was time to take revenge on Sonic. But as his thoughts traveled, he was unaware of the cloaked figure edging closer.

* * *

Back with our six heroes, they exited the door and found themselves once again outside. Their was a trail of stairs and rails the led around the corner of the castle. If they looked over the rails, they could see the door which they first entered the castle. As they rounded the corner, they were led to a dead end with some pipes jutted from the side of the castle.

"Now where do we go?" Angel questioned.

"There must be someway to the upper levels." Silver said as he gazed upwards. "Is there like an elevator or something?"

"Nothing from what we can see." Storm said; his eyes pray around the deserted sky.

"But that's impossible." Naruto said. "Unless he suddenly learned how to sprout wings."

The six scoured every inch of the stretch area; Angel even crawled up the pipes. But from what they found, it was as Espio had somehow found the ability to fly. Sonic was ready to suggest that Espio used his wall climbing abilities to walk up the side of the castle. But then he remembered that Espio was too injured from their battle to climb such a length. Now that he thought about it, Sonic was also feeling tired. Even his little flashback, seemed to have tired him out. And at a bad time, too. Just as he was turning, he barely ducked when a red blur whizzed past his head.

"Hey, guys!" Sonic called. "We've got company!"

They were lucky he called out to them. They also turned and barely dodged a speeding red bullet similar to the one that nearly struck Sonic. They halted in midair and revealed themselves. There were six red dragon-like heartless with their emblem on their chests. They wings were slightly torn, but that was only to increase their speed, as Silver guessed.

"All right!" Naruto cheered, bashing his fist in his hand. "Time for some action!"

"Yeah..." Marine said uncertainly. "Great."

Naruto charged ahead eagerly while the others lagged behind. The heartless, which Silver later dubbed Wyvern, fastened their wings and charged in a corkscrew fashion. Naruto easily jumped them, but the others were near misses; Angel was scrapped across her knee. The pink experiment clutched her knee while the Wyvern's stopped in midair. While Storm heaved her on his back, he barely had time to register the nearest Wyvern. Two of them dive-bombed and smashed their clutched up claws into Storm's chest. Angel was thrown near the pipes while Storm was thrown flat against the ground.

"They're in trouble, mate!" Marine screeched.

"Stay away from them!" Sonic roared.

Sonic jumped with his Keyblade raised. But just as he reached the air, the sooner he hit the ground. It would sapped all of his strength and he could barely hold up his weapon. No sooner did he look did the Wyvern smash its claws to the side of Sonic's face. Silver jumped over the heap that was Sonic and blew a massive fireball from his mouth. Silver was also suffering from fatigue; his fireball dissolved seconds before it reached the Wyvern. The dragon-like heartless struck Silver in midair and forced him to the ground. Marine also tried her hand, but couldn't find the strength to summon another green orb. The Wyvern glared with victory as all their targets were cast across the area, too tired to stand. Well, almost all of them.

"Hey, missing anyone!" The Wyvern turned and saw not one, but six Naruto's jumping in the air. "Get ready to feel the pain!"

The six Naruto spun around in a circle, clearly preparing for an attack. The Wyvern could easily block such an attack. They tried to move, but suddenly found themselves being weighed down. They stared at their claws and saw a mass pile of Naruto clones holding them in place. With a clear shot, the six Naruto's outstretched their legs and slammed their heels at the top of the Wyvern's heads. With a last cry of pain, they fell into the bottomless pit below. The clones disappeared while the real Naruto tended to his friends.

"You guys all right?" Naruto asked.

"We'll be fine." Sonic groaned as he stood up. "That was some sweet moves there."

"And I think we've found our way forward." Silver said.

They gave him a quizzical look until Silver pointed to the edge. Their was a golden elevator, similar to the one at the entrance.

"How'd that get there?" Storm asked.

"My guess is, Espio placed those heartless to guard this elevator." Silver explained. "He gave them the energy to control it. But once they were defeated, it returned to its original position."

"I'm not really sure what he said." Sonic shrugged. "But if it means getting to Espio, then all aboard!"

Sonic quickly jumped onto the elevator and, tapping his foot impatiently, waited for the others. It took a while to fit Storm's mass through, but they managed. Suddenly, the elevator pulled them up, closer to their end.

* * *

The scene returns to the room of the princesses. Amy had been moved from her original position and was lain across the floor below the heart portal. Black Doom stared malevolently into the dark depths of the portal, hypnotized by its aura. He was brought back to his sense when Espio, returned to his dark armor, appeared beside him.

"So, the path has emerged at last." Espio said, his voice sounding conjoined with another.

"Yes, the Keyhole of Darkness." Black Doom said praising. "The time has come at last for me to take back what's mine."

"Unlock it and the heartless will destroy what's left of this world." Espio forewarned.

"What do I care what happens to this world! It only reminds my of the wretched Zoan!" Black Doom growled. "When the darkness is under my control, I shall use it to rule all worlds."

"Such confidence." Espio smirked.

Espio held out his hand and, to Black Doom's surprise, summoned the Keyblade. Black Doom marveled how Espio managed to retrieved it when he knew Sonic took it back. But then, he noticed something. Unlike its good counter part, this Keyblade was pitch black with a red rim around the handle. It had no keychain and the end pieces form the shape of a broken heart.

"Impressive." Black Doom said. But then noticed something was wrong. "Wait! Why isn't the keyhole opening? All the princesses are present." His glared shifted to Amy's lifeless body. "It must be her."

The two moved closer to the rose colored hedgehog. But unlike before, Espio showed no sighs of concern for the hedgehog like he once did. He scanned her body, looking for the essential piece she was missing.

"Her heart is still missing." Espio said. "Unless it is returned, the keyhole will forever remain incomplete."

Black Doom was prepared to comment when his ever watchful eye floated before them. The blinked its single eye and projected a green image from it. The image showed Sonic and his group walked further into the castle.

"The king's fools are here." Black Doom stated. "As you cannot, I shall destroy them myself."

In a flash of green light, Black Doom vanished from sight. Espio smirked deviously as a new surge of dark energy coursed through him.

"Enjoying the show so far?" Espio suddenly asked.

The out of nowhere, the same black coat figure from earlier appeared. This time, he was joined by the skull handed figure that attacked Traverse Town. While the skull handed figure stared at the Keyhole, The other gazed at Espio's Keyblade.

"You try to claim that as the Keyblade of Darkness?" The coat figure questioned. "You fight a true key with a fake."

"It shall be enough." Espio grimaced. "Once I defeat the rat, once shall be one step closer to obtaining all Four Paths."

"You do that." The figure said. "But remember, the true Keyblade of Darkness lies with our most lethal enemy."

"I won't forget anytime soon." Espio stated.

And like that, both coat figures vanished into the darkness.

* * *

**Light returns, but the darkness grows stronger. Will Sonic reclaim his home world? Is Espio's new power enough to end the heroes? And what are the "Four Paths" they speak of? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	33. The Gems of Darkness, Part 3

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Two: The Gems of Darkness, Part 3

Black Doom levitated idly in the gathering chamber, waiting for his time to face his enemies. Black Doom had summoned his Eye so he could keep a close watch on Sonic and his friends. The six heroes were mowing through the stampede of heartless without much effort; Sonic and the others regained their strength during the cage lift up the castle. They were defeating Defenders, striking down Wyvern's, and obliterating his new heartless called Wizards.

"This is getting tiresome." Black Doom stated. "Is there no creature that can defeat this wretched rat? Though I am not at all surprised." Doom had the eye focus on Sonic, who sliced a Wizard in half. "He is just as irksome as his father. I have not been this annoyed since the Higher Powers banished me to mortality."

Black Doom's hand clenched as he was forced to relive that awful memory.

* * *

_--Flashback--_

A new scene materializes to a wide grey chamber with several runes etched into the walls. Seven figures stood in a circle surrounding a golden heart in the center of the chamber. Black Doom was a part of this circle. To his left was Malefor; to his right was Pein, wearing a black cloak with red clouds. The other four was Mata Nui, a white qilin beast with a golden cross wheel around its waist, a golden dragon with four red eyes and six red orbs, and a tan Egyptian monster.

"Kingdom Hearts has grown considerably." The Egyptian monster said. "In a matter of years, it will be stronger than any of us."

"I must agree, Exodia." Malefor said. "We had never anticipated such things to be possible."

"Maybe we could use it to our advantage." The golden dragon said. "With Kingdom Hearts, we could..."

"Do not stray to such thoughts, Fanglongmon!" The qilin exclaimed.

"But Arceus..."

"No!" Arceus roared. "We created Kingdom Hearts as a way to protect the worlds. But clearly, this power has driven others to greed. Look what it did to the people of Radiant Garden."

"Then what shall we do with it?" Pein questioned calmly.

"We must lock it away forever." Arceus stated. "We shall provide a key and a protector to guard it. Until then, the meeting of the Higher Powers is now adjourned."

With the meeting over, Arceus, Exodia, Fanglongmon, and Mata Nui exited the chamber. But Black Doom, Pein, and Malefor remained in their place. Black Doom edged closer to reach out for the golden heart that was known as Kingdom Hearts. But just when he was within reach, Pein suddenly jumped in and stretched his arm in front to stop him.

"What are you doing?" Black Doom asked.

Instead of answering, Pein raised his arm to reveal a hidden kunai under his sleeve. In an unexpected turn, he shot the kunai directly at the golden heart. Just when it was a few inches from Kingdom Hearts, the kunai evaporated into nothing.

"You really didn't think Arceus would leave Kingdom Hearts defenseless." Pein said monotone. "Beware the darkness that lies in your heart. Such temptations are what forced us to scatter the worlds."

"We do not need you telling us about the darkness!" Malefor roared furiously. "This is but only a set back. While Arceus remains unaware, we shall take Kingdom Hearts for our own!"

"I have seen many holes in this plan." Pein said.

"Have faith, Nagato." Black Doom said malevolently. "Everything will go perfectly."

--

But things had not gone as planned. Black Doom and his fellow traitors had been caught by Exodia and were now being trialed before the rest of the Higher Powers. Black Doom floated, trying to break free from the steel bonds that enclosed him. Malefor was being pinned down, from head to tail, by a number of yellow energy ropes. Pein was the only one who was not restrained. Mata Nui, Exodia, and Fanglongmon stood in the background while Arceus stepped up to the traitors.

"You realize why you are here?" Arceus questioned.

"We are on trial for attempting to take Kingdom Heart." Pein said casually.

"That is correct." Arceus nodded. "And as such, you punishment will be..."

"What punishment?!" Malefor roared. "We were doing what was best for the worlds."

"What you believe was best, you were mistaken." Arceus stated.

"Kingdom Hearts is too powerful to be left in the realm of mortals." Black Doom said. "We, as the Higher Powers, should take advantage of it use. We can rebuild the worlds as one again, this time in our own image."

"That is what lead to the destruction of Radiant Garden." Arceus shook his head. "As for your punishment, the remaining members of the Higher Powers have decided to banish you back to your worlds. As mortals."

"What?!" Black Doom and Malefor exclaimed; Pein remained impassive.

"The decision has been made." Arceus said emotionlessly. "Our judgment is final. Farewell, mortals."

Arceus stepped backwards with his other allies as a black hole suddenly appeared under the floor. Pein, accepting his fate, willingly allowed himself to be sucked into the vortex. Malefor was not that easy to give in. He snapped and thrashed until the bond s that held him finally gave way. But by the time he broke free, he was already halfway in the vortex. In a last ditch effort, Malefor breathed a tremendous fireball and the gods. But Fanglongmon summoned his orbs to create a shield around them. Malefor was gone. Black Doom didn't try attack, but he didn't give up without a fight. As the vortex began to over take him, he uttered his final words.

"This isn't over, Arceus." Black Doom proclaimed "One day, Kingdom Hearts will be mine!"

_--End Flashback--_

* * *

"I will keep to my word." Black Doom said with malice. His three eyes glared at Sonic's image, who had just beheaded a Wyvern. "Come to me, Keyblade Master, and reawaken the power that is Black Doom!"

Back with the heroes, Silver had crushed a Wizard with his gravity skills and Storm snapped a defender in half. And after climbing three stories and traversing several hidden passages, the six heroes arrived in the gathering chamber; Black Doom was nowhere to be seen. With no enemy in sight, the heroes dropped to the ground, panting.

"Don't these things ever run out?" Angel moaned.

"At least we're safe here." Naruto said; a red glow surrounded him. "Man, I bet even fuzz face would be tired after that."

"This is it, the place where the Black Doom gathers his minions." Silver said, standing up. "I can feel it, he's here somewhere."

"Then lets take' em, mate?" Marine asked.

"I thought you would never ask."

Suddenly, a gale of wind erupted from out of nowhere directly on our heroes. Sonic, Silver, and Naruto stood their ground. But Storm, Marine, and Angel were thrown back outside the doorway. At moment later, the doors slammed shut.

"Storm! Marine! Angel!" Sonic cried. "You guys ok?!"

"We're fine!" Storm called through the door. "What's going on in there?!"

"Nothing good." Silver growled.

In the center of the chamber, a sudden light flashed, nearly blinding the remaining heroes. We they vision had regained focus, they found Black Doom floating idly not far from them.

"Black Doom!" Sonic and Silver exclaimed.

"You know this freak show?" Naruto asked.

"This is the guy who's been causing trouble for everyone." Silver explained. "He's the reason Sakura was taken from your world."

"If you know what's good for you, you'll return everyone home!" Sonic yelled; his Keyblade held to Black Doom to emphasize his point.

"You can have them if you wish, but it will do you no good." Black Doom sniggered. "Thanks to Silver's discovery, we have successfully extracted the Chaos Emeralds from their hearts. Once Espio unlocks the final keyhole, this world, as will all worlds, will be plunged into darkness."

"You can't do that!" Naruto cried.

"Actually, I can." Black Doom said. "The darkness cannot defeated. It is unstoppable."

"No matter what you say, we will stop it." Sonic said, readying his Keyblade. "After coming this far, there is no way we're going to give up that easily. Face it, Black Doom, you're finished."

"You fools think you can defeat me!" Black Doom sneered. "Me, the overlord of evil."

"That's what we're here to find out!" Silver roared.

The grey hedgehog, despite Sonic's warnings, charged ahead toward the dark overlord. Silver gathered energy into his right hand, forming a thin blade around it. He jumped and brought the energy blade down on Black Doom, who made a simply hand gesture. Just as he was ready to cut down the overlord, a meteor flew out of nowhere and bowled the mystic hedgehog to the wall. Black Doom made the same hand gesture again, this time aimed at Sonic and Naruto. Five dark clouds formed around Black Doom, suddenly bombarding the two in meteors. Since the Keyblade was in its standard form, Sonic could use his keychain ability to dodge them. Naruto, on the other hand, performed his signature technique.

"Shadow Clone Jutsu!" Naruto yelled.

In a massive cloud of smoke, over a hundred Naruto's were cramped into the chamber. Sonic could see where Naruto was going with this. The clones would provide a barrier that protected him from the meteors. While the clones were destroyed, the real Naruto emerged with a blue sphere that looked similar to the Sonic Wind. He aimed it towards Black Doom.

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled. Just when it looked like Naruto's attack would hit, he suddenly passed through him. "What the..."

"You didn't really think it would be that easy, did you?" Black Doom said.

Naruto turned back, only to find Black Doom's fist in the side of his face. The remaining clones vanished and the real Naruto was thrown back at the doors. Sonic checked on his friend. Naruto was alive, just out cold.

"Such pathetic life forms stood no chance against the darkness." Black Doom chuckled

"CHAOS SPEAR!"

In an unexpected turn of events, Black Doom nearly toppled to the ground when he felt a sudden pain in his back. He glared over his shoulder, where he saw Silver jumping overhead. With a wave of his hands, the grey hedgehog shot down a horde of thunderbolts. Black Doom quickly shot around and formed a multicolored energy shield to protect himself. Sensing danger, Black Doom looked to the side and found Sonic coming up to him with his Keyblade. Taking a risk, Black Doom heaved his shield forward and held out one hand to Sonic at the same time. The shield threw back the thunderbolts at Silver and Black Doom caught the Keyblade with his own hand. Silver flopped to the floor from the lightning strike and Black Doom, pained by the touch, tossed the Keyblade over with Sonic with it.

"This guy is predicting our every move." Sonic groaned.

"I should have known." Silver said. "I come as no surprise since he was once a member of the Higher Powers."

"So you know about that." Black Doom said malevolently.

"I've known ever since Mahri Nui." Silver explained. "You, along with Nagato and Malefor, were the three who were banished from immortality to live your lives as mortals. Arceus made the right choice getting rid of you."

"SWIFT STRIKE!" Black Doom roared.

He summoned a purple energy boomerang that swatted Silver across the face, smashing him into the side wall.

"Silver!" Sonic cried.

"Never mention that name in my presence!" Black Doom yelled hysterically. "I am superior to that infernal beast! I am Black Doom, the overlord of evil and soon-to-be master of the universe!"

"Man, do you ever shut up!"

Naruto was back on his feet and now actually standing on the ceiling. Before anyone could contemplate how such a feat was possible, Naruto jumped down and started spinning. During his spin, he outstretched his leg and slammed his heel over Black Doom's third eye. The dark overlord staggered back, clutching his eye in pain.

"Look at his eyes." Silver said.

"Say wha?" Sonic questioned.

As Silver pointed out, all three of Black Doom's eyes were closed shut. It would appear that while Black Doom had three eyes, his third was the most sensitive of them. Sonic brought up his Keyblade and made a quick dash at the dark overlord. In fail swoop, Sonic slashed Black Doom across the chest. The force of the attack sent Black Doom to the wall and dropped to the ground. With Black Doom defeated, a page from Mephiles report dropped to Sonic's feet. The hedgehog picked it up and read of the paper. The page explained the creation of the heartless.

"How?" Black Doom asked weakly. "How could I lose to them?"

"Never underestimate the power of the Keyblade." Sonic grinned.

"Way to go, mates!"

Sonic turned on his heels just as Marine jumped on him, knocking him to the ground. Storm and Angel walked through the reopened door; both more calm than Marine. Storm helped Silver back to his feet. But in the moment of distraction, Black Doom tried to make his escape. Unfortunately, Marine had caught him.

"Hey, he's getting way!" Marine shouted.

But before they could do anything about it, Black Doom disappeared in a flash of light.

"Now how do we catch him?" Sonic questioned. At that moment, a portal of pure darkness appeared where Black Doom once stood. "That seems a little suspicious."

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Silver said. "Come on, let's move."

Though still a little suspicious, Sonic reluctantly followed Silver and the others through the portal. However, they were unaware of the dark coated figure that loomed from the other side of the chamber.

* * *

In a flash of light, Black Doom had been transported to a new location inside the castle. He had entered a large and wide chamber scattered with dark, thorny vines and roots. The dark overlord leaned against one of the massive roots, wiping away the blood that was leaking from his third eyes. He felt a slight pain in his chest and clutched where Sonic had struck him.

"How could I have been defeated?" Black Doom groaned. "I, a member of the Higher Powers, defeated by a little blue rat!"

Suddenly, Espio, along with Doom's Eye, appeared besides him in a flash of light. While Doom's Eye floated around its master, the dark overlord felt uneasy about Espio devilish grin.

"Do you need some help?" Espio ask amusingly; his voice sounding conjoined.

"How dare you mock me?" Black Doom growled. "This battle is not yet over."

"You never stood a chance in the first place." Espio smirked. "Don't you get it yet? While the Keyblade Master's power grew, yours was dwindling away."

"Then that means..." Black Doom said with sudden realization. "You're still alive after all these years?"

"I have been planning this day for fifteen years." Espio said; his voice growing darker. "My time has come at last."

All of a sudden, a portal of darkness opened up on the other side of the chamber. Espio turned and watched as Sonic and the others emerged from the dark hole. It was Sonic who first noticed his former friend.

"Espio!" Sonic called.

"Sonic, I was so hoping you would make it." Espio said evilly.

"You again!" Naruto growled; Storm had to hold him back. "I'm gonna rip you limb from limb!"

"Such a big mouth from someone so feeble." Espio said; Naruto struggled to break free. "Now if we're done with the formalities, I have something to show you. I think it might interest you a bit."

Espio held out his hand like he was trying to summon something. Sonic clutched his Keyblade, fearing Espio might try to take it again. But to everyone's surprise, his own Keyblade appeared in his hands. The Dark Keyblade.

"Impossible!" Silver exclaimed.

"Is that a..." Storm trembled.

"Yes, a Keyblade." Espio said in a sinister manner. "Mine might not be a True Keyblade, but it's just as powerful, with a slight difference. You see, unlike yours, mine has the power to unlock people's hearts."

"What does that mean?" Angel asked.

"Perhaps a demonstration is in order." Espio said.

Sonic gripped his Keyblade tighter, ready to defend his friends in case he decided to attack them. The others followed his example. Storm raised his fists, Silver started chanting, Angel readied her antenna, Marine formed green orbs in her palms, and Naruto readied his jutsu. But to their surprise, he turned to Black Doom instead of them. In one blow, he stabbed his Dark Keyblade through Black Doom and his Eye. The heroes dropped their guard in shock.

"Behold!" Espio shouted.

"What – are you –doing?" Black Dom questioned weakly.

Black Doom, fearing for his life, made an attempt to grab the Dark Keyblade. But the mere touch of the key burned Black Doom. Marine started crying into Sonic's fur and the blue hedgehog held her protectively. Just as the world started to fade, everything became more clearer to Black Doom. Then he realized: he wasn't dying.

"Open you heart, surrender it to the darkness!" Espio chanted vividly. "Become darkness itself!"

With the deed done, Espio released Black Doom and his Eye and disappeared in a flash of light. The heroes thought Black Doom had died until they heard him laughing. A confident laugh that sent chills down their spines.

"This is it! This power!" Black Doom roared gleefully. "Darkness...the true darkness!"

A sudden wave of darkness erupted from beneath Black Doom and reached to the top of the chamber. The heroes resumed their stances, awaiting anything that would emerge from the cloud. But what they found was not to be expected. Black Doom's entire appearance had completely changed. Black Doom had mutated to a gigantic doubled-sided gargoyle figure connected to the ground with several horns connected to its body. He had been transformed to the dark demon Devil Doom.

"I did not see that come!" Naruto exclaimed.

"And just when you thought he couldn't get any uglier." Silver commented.

"I would suggest you don't mock me, rat." Devil Doom said.

"He can talk!" Marine stated; pulling away from Sonic.

"I may have changed, but my mind still remains intact." Devil Doom stated.

"Looks like we'll have to do something about that." Sonic smirked.

"We do?" Storm asked shakily.

At that moment, Doom's Eye made an appearance and dropped into one of the heads. The head blink from its new eye and directed its attention to the gathered heroes. The colossal monster emitted a gulling roar before spewing a massive fireball from its mouth. The heroes split up into three ways; each group having two people. Silver and Storm climbed up the tall vines until they were hanging overhead of Devil Doom. Silver tried to think up a strategy, but Storm was the most patient person. The albatross jumped from his spot and slammed his fist into Devil Doom head. The demon didn't flinch, only flicked the annoyance off his head. Much to Silver's agony, Devil Doom spotted him. Silver tried to form a spell, but Devil Doom's hand flew out of nowhere and grasped the tiny hedgehog.

"You have betrayed me deeply, silver." Devil Doom spoke. "I should kill you right now. But I'm feeling generous. Join my side forever and will allow you to live and spare your world."

"Like I would ever join you!" Silver roared. "CHAOS SPEAR!"

A small arrow of light form from nowhere, but nailed its mark. The arrow lodged itself in Doom's Eyes, forcing the beast to release Silver while it cried out in pain.

"The eye!" Angel cried out. "The eye is its weakness."

"I'm on it, mate!" Marne cheered.

Angel cupped her hands, telling Marine to jump on. Marine caught this hint and jumped out of Angel's hands ten feet into the air. Marine thrust two green orbs from her palms at Devil Doom's eye. But in an unexpected twist, Doom's Eye eject from the head before they could reach. As Marine landed, the Eye retreated to the second head.

"It can change heads?" Naruto moaned. "That's totally unfair."

"This is not a game, boy." Devil Doom stated. "This is reality."

"And you're about do for a check-up!"

Devil Doom shot around as Sonic came flying in with his signature Spin Dash. Unfortunately, the demonic figure caught the blue hedgehog into his palm and threw him to the side. Naruto made a dive to catch him. Angel and Silver jumped from the sides to make a second attempt towards the Eye. But as expected, Devil Doom would always have a trick up his sleeve, or it this case, back. Two wings formed between the two bodies and covered the head with the Eye; Silver and Angel were thrown back. Devil Doom held out its arms and summoned up a hoard of meteors. Be instead of crashing down, they shot yellow lasers down on the heroes. Storm was running around hysterically with his tail feathers on fire.

"Wings, laser, fireballs." Sonic listed off as he rejoined Marine and Naruto. "This guy doesn't know when to quit."

"And do forget around the head switch." Marine added, dodging a laser.

"Yeah, that, too." Sonic muttered.

With no way of getting near Devil Doom with the lasers, Sonic called back his group and jumped behind the thorny vines. Devil Doom tried to cut them off by spewing another fireball, but the heroes were already in safety before it hit the ground.

"Well, this is just great." Silver said sarcastically. "We're trapped under a giant plant with an unstoppable monster ready to kill us."

"Nothing is unstoppable." Sonic tried to reason. "We already know that his Eye is his weakness, we just have to figure out how to get to it."

"That doesn't seem likely." Naruto said hopelessly. "Even if we get past the fireballs, we still have to get past the lasers."

"And even if we get past the lasers, we still have the wings." Angel added.

"And if we get past the wings, it will just change heads." Marine added also.

"Look's pretty hopeless to me." Storm said sadly.

"No!" Sonic exclaimed. "We've come to far just to give up now. What about the king, and Sakura, and Amy?! Are we just going to let them rot while Black Doom takes over the universe?"

"Then what do you propose we do?" Silver questioned seriously.

Sonic didn't now what he should do. This was the first time others had expected him to come up with a plan; the pressure he was feeling wasn't helping. He reviewed Devil Doom's abilities: head change, wings, lasers, fireballs. Then he looked at his team: a mystic, a guard, an experiment, a shooter, a cloner, and himself. Then it hit him!

"I have an idea." Sonic stated.

"This should be good." Silver muttered.

"Listen up, cause I'm only saying this once." Sonic said seriously.

The group huddled together to listen to Sonic's plan. Meanwhile, Devil Doom and his armed forces were waiting for them to emerge.

"Why delay the inevitable any longer?" Devil Doom said. "You cannot hope to defeat the kind of power that I know posses."

"That's where you wrong." Sonic said as he and his team emerged. "In fact, we're just getting started."

"Let's end this forever." Devil Doom stated. "Who will win: the light or the darkness?"

Devil Doom gave out another gulling roar before hurling another fireball from his mouth. Sonic nodded to his teammates, who replied, as they initiated their plan. Sonic prayed that it would work. The six heroes charged forward directly in the path of the fireball. Angel jumped into Storm's arms and launched her into the fireball. Being Jumba's experiment, she had more resistance to such attacks and blocked the attack while the others ran forward. Next came the lasers. The meteors took their positions in front of Devil Doom. But before they had a chance to fire, they were suddenly exploding one by one. Silver and Marine held back to handle the laser situation as the others went on ahead.

"Bonza!" Marine cheered as she shot down another meteor.

"CHAOS SPEAR!" Silver commanded, summoning a horde of arrows.

"Naruto, you're up!" Sonic called.

"I'm on it!" Naruto replied, performing a hand sign. "Shadow clone jutsu!"

At that moment, over two hundred Naruto's formed a barrier around Storm and Sonic. Devil Doom, realizing the situation, tried to recall his wings. But they were stuck. When he looked down, he found all two hundred Naruto clutching his wings, trying to pin the dark demon to the ground.

"Unhand me!" Devil Doom ordered.

"Storm, time for the big finale!" Sonic shouted.

The albatross jumped in front and held his hands out to Sonic. The Keyblade hedgehog jumped into his palms and was thrown high over Devil Doom's head. As expected, the Eye tried to make a get away. But the moment it breached from the head, a set of jaws snapped shut over one of its tentacles. The eye roved over and found a green raptor pinning him in place as Sonic landed in front of him.

"What is this accursed thing?" Doom questioned.

"That's Zilla, a good pet of mine." Sonic explained. "I expected you to try an escape, so I took the liberty of summoning him while you weren't looking. If you would look closely, you would see Angel and Storm are gone."

Doom couldn't believe what had happened. He had been outsmarted by a pint-sized blue rat. With his final breath, Doom watched as Sonic raised his Keyblade and slashed him down the middle. The Eye started to spilt open for a moment before it evaporated into the darkness. With no mind left, Devil Doom followed swift and faded into the darkness as well. Sonic and Zilla jumped off quickly before they joined him. Sonic gave Zilla one last pet before he disappeared back into his stone.

"I can't believe that plan work." Silver said in disbelief. "And here I thought you were hopeless."

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" Sonic shouted.

"Exactly as it sounds." Silver smirked.

The group laughed as Sonic's face started to burn red, but he could really stay mad. They had defeated Black Doom, a feat that seemed near impossible. From the remains, Angel had recovered a red stone, no doubt another summoning stone.

"So, he was another puppet after all." A sinister voice said.

Espio had reappeared in a flash of light, his eyes trailing over the spot of Black Doom's downfall.

"What do you mean?" Silver questioned.

"The heartless were using him just like they were using his minions." Espio said in a cruel manner. "The entire time he thought he was in control, it was just the opposite. He failed to notice the darkness slowly eating away at his mortal heart." He smirked and then spat at the spot as an insult to Black Doom. "A fitting end for such a pitiful fool."

"That's enough!" Sonic exclaimed. "I don't know what happened to you, but it has to stop!"

"If you really wish to put an end to it, then we shall meet once more." Espio said; his voice growing darker by the second. "Meet me in the Grand Hall. It is there we shall end this feud."

With his words said, Espio once again disappeared in a flash of light. Sonic clenched his fist in pure hatred. How could he take pleasure in the death of others? He may not have like Black Doom, but even he didn't deserve the kind of treatment the heartless did to him. The portal remained open from where they entered. Taking one last look at the spot Espio once stood, Sonic ran through the portal with his friends following behind.

* * *

**Black Doom is defeated and the final bout approaches. Will Sonic's skills be enought to defeat the Espio and the Dark Keyblade? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	34. The Gems of Darkness, Part 4

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Three: The Gems of Darkness, Part 4

After returning from their battle against Devil Doom, Sonic and his friends reappeared in the gathering chamber of Hollow Bastion. Storm was the last to appearbefore the dark portal vanished as quickly as it appeared. But that didn't at all concern them. The only thing that was on Sonic's mind was Espio and his challenge. Sonic knew it would be tough since the chameleon now had his own Keyblade. But before he could worry about that, he needed to find him first.

"Where do we go now?" Angel asked.

"We have to find the Grand Hall like Espio said." Silver explained. "But I don't see any entrance."

But just as Silver said those words, a cloud of darkness emerged from beneath the side wall. When the darkness vanished, an arched entrance could be found in its place.

"That's convenient." Marine said.

They swiftly dived through the arch into a small intersection filled with a horde of feeble Shadow Heartless. But they didn't take long to defeat with Naruto's clones. With the last of the Heartless gone, they walked through the door on the other side of the room. They soon found themselves inside the Grand Hall where the seven princesses were being held captive. The room was eerily dark and filled with evil; Dark Sonic would feel threatened in this room. Though hesitantly, they walked along the carpet floor, where they found the six females inside the crystal containers.

"Look, its Rui and Zelda!" Storm exclaimed.

True to his word, Rui and Zelda were seen side-by-side next to a pink dragon.

"Bonza! Another dragon!" Marine cheered. "She reminds me of that one dragon, mate."

"You mean Spyro?" Sonic asked. "Then that must mean this is Ember."

All of a sudden, something flashed inside Sonic's quills. He reached up and pulled out the Dragon Roar summoning gem. It flashed brilliantly, taking Angel and Marine in its place. A moment later, Spyro appeared.

"Ember?" Spyro asked desperately. It didn't take long for him to notice the pink dragon. He looked like he on the deg of crying when he saw her sleeping form. "Ember! Don't worry, I'll get you out!"

Spyro headbutted the crystal case, but his horns didn't even leave a scratch. He tried using his fire, ice, lightning, and earth breaths, but he one failed after the other. Silver and Storm were tried to break the other princesses out with their strength and magic, but they were unsuccessful. He turned to Naruto and found the fox boy pounding at a container holding a pink haired girl his age.

"Sakura!" Naruto yelled. "Sakura, wake up! It's me, Naruto!"

But try as they might, everyone's attempts were wasted. Suddenly, Sonic could feel a strong light resonating from within his chest. He felt that he had three hearts instead of one. He knew one of them belonged to Dark Sonic, but the other was a mystery. He looked up the small set of stairs and saw the golden heart at the top. Something told him he needed to be there.

"What is that?" Sonic whispered, walking up the stairs.

"Where's Sonic going?" Storm asked, noticing his little friend leaving.

"I don't know." Silver replied. "But we better make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

Sonic raced up to the top of the stairs; his heart pounding with each step. He quickly reached the top under the shadow of the golden heart. Silver joined along side him, but Storm was thrown back by an invisible barrier.

"Storm, you ok?" Silver asked.

"I'm fine." Storm groaned. He reached out and felt the barrier. "Where did this come from?"

"It's a trap!" Silver stated. "Sonic, we've got to get out of here!"

But Sonic paid no attention to his warnings. All his attention was centered around Amy's lifeless body placed upon the ground. The strange sensation returned to Sonic's heart, only more stronger. This made Sonic worried for some reason. He quickly ran over to Amy and grasped her body with his arms. His fears were confirmed; Amy's body felt stone cold.

"Amy!" Sonic exclaimed as he tried to shake her away. "Amy, open your eyes!"

"Such attempts are wasted."

Sonic turned his attention from Amy towards the top of the golden heart, where Espio could be found. Espio sat there with a malevolent expression while grasping the Dark Keyblade in hand. Sonic gently set Amy back down and glared at his former friend. Sonic had never known such hatred than what he was feeling now.

"What are you talking about?" Sonic growled.

"I would think it was obvious." Espio grinned. "That girl has lost her heart. As long as it remains missing, she will never wake up."

"Wait a minute!" Sonic exclaimed. "Even if he was evil, Espio would still care about Amy! What have you done to him?!"

"I have freed this boy from his prison." 'Espio' said. He hopped down from his pedestal and gently glided down below the golden heart. "What really matters now is that the last princess must be awake in order to complete the keyhole."

"Princess?" Sonic questioned before he realized. "Amy's a princess!"

"The princess of this very world to be exact." 'Espio' stated. "She is the last piece need to solve the puzzle. Once she awakes, the darkness will be freed and all light shall be extinguished."

"You're mad!" Silver yelled.

"What you call madness, I call genius." 'Espio' said. "I have gone beyond the boundaries of light and darkness."

"I don't care who you are!" Sonic shouted. "Give Espio back his heart!"

"I will." 'Espio' chuckled. "As soon as you return the princess's heart!"

Sonic stared at 'Espio' as if he were crazy. How could he have Amy's heart when he has been looking for her this entire time? But just as this thought ran through him, 'Espio' held out the Dark Keyblade towards Sonic. Out of nowhere, a sharp pain entered one of the three hearts as if the Dark Keyblade had stabbed it. Sonic groaned loudly and fell to his knees.

"Sonic, what's happening?" Silver asked worriedly.

"I don't know." Sonic moaned. "What's going on?"

"Haven't you figured it out yet?" 'Espio' asked. "The princess's heart is responding. It has been there all along. Amy's heart rests within you!"

"A-Amy's inside me." Sonic gasped.

"How do you know all this?" Silver glared.

"I know all that there is to know." 'Espio' stated. "From the beginning I knew this day would come to pass."

"Tell me, who are you?" Sonic questioned.

"I guess you deserve to know." 'Espio' grinned. "It is I, Mephiles, the Seeker of Darkness."

Silver and Sonic gasped in shock. They had heard a great deal about Mephiles and his contributions against the heartless. No one would ever believe the brave ruler to be the cause of the heartless. While Sonic was still processing this, Mephiles made his way to the blue hedgehog while his Dark Keyblade clutched tight.

"If you want to get to him, you'll have to go through me!" Silver roared.

But Mephiles paid no mind to him. Even as Silver ran up to strike, Mephiles merely swatted him away with his hand. Silver was thrown across the room and beyond the barrier. Mephiles came up to Sonic and held the Dark Keyblade to his head.

"I will release you now, princess." Mephiles chanted darkly. "Complete the keyhole with your power. Open the door, lead me into everlasting darkness!"

Mephiles swung up the Dark Keyblade with a maddening look on his face. He swung it down with great force, knowing that nothing would be able to stop him. Sonic wanted to fight back, but the pain in his heart was too much to handle. When he realized his death was at hand, he began here voices. Voices he knew from somewhere.

"Don't give up, son!" Aleena called

"Be strong, Keyblade Master!" Zoan yelled.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

Those voices somehow brought Sonic back to full strength. In a blinding flash, Sonic summoned they Keyblade and halted its dark copy's attack. Mephiles looked on in shock as Sonic stated to force him back.

"Forget it!" Sonic roared. "There is no way I am letting you take Amy's heart!"

Sonic pushed Mephiles back fully and watch as the dark seeker flipped back onto his feet. Sonic held his Keyblade in a battled position, but that did not concern Mephiles. He actually seemed to be more intrigued by the weapon itself.

"So, I finally see on of the Four Paths with my own eyes." Mephiles grinned.

"Four Paths?" Sonic repeated. "What are you talking about?"

"I guess I can tell you, seeing as it won't matter in a moment." Mephiles said. "In the universe there are four notable elements that create it: Light, Darkness, Dawn, and Twilight. These four elements were so power; four special weapons were forged from them. The four weapons spawned others like themselves. They took the form of blades that resembled keys."

"The Keyblade." Sonic realized.

"Exactly." Mephiles said. "Many wanted these Keyblades, but the keys would never accept them as their masters. As such, many began forging there own weapons in the shape of keys. This event led to the creation of the False Keyblades and the Keyblade War. The one you possess is known as the Keyblade of Light. But such a weapon is too powerful for you to control." Mephiles held out his hands in expectation. "Hand it over so I can fulfill its destiny."

"Forget it!" Sonic exclaimed. "You took both my homes, separated me from my parents, and corrupted my best friend! If you think I'm gonna hand it over after all that, you're out of your mind!"

"Very well." Mephiles smirked. "Have it your way."

Mephiles drew forth the Dark Keyblade and the final battle for Hollow Bastion had begun. Sonic started off by running up to Mephiles and throwing down his Keyblade vertically. But Mephiles merely dodge to the side and swung the Dark Keyblade around once on his feet. Luckily, Sonic curved backward so that the weapon barely missed him by an inch. But Mephiles had already anticipated the tactic and brought his foot up to Sonic's face. Sonic tumbled towards the direction of the keyhole while Mephiles charged straight at him. Just as Sonic stopped, Mephiles stabbed his Dark Keyblade down upon him. Acting fast, Sonic grasped Mephiles by the shoulders and flipped over him before the Dark Keyblade reached it's target. Once he landed, Sonic swung around and cut across Mephiles back with the Keyblade. Mephiles fell to his knees, but looked perfectly unharmed.

"Simply amazing." Mephiles chuckled. "You truly are the Keyblade Master."

"What did you expect?" Sonic grinned. "There's a reason the Keyblade chose me."

"Even though the Keyblade originally belong to Espio, I cannot argue." Mephiles said, turning around. "But of course this mean I have to get serious."

"You've got to be kidding me." Sonic groaned.

Mephiles held out his hand as it suddenly as a surge of electricity surrounded it. Without warning, Mephiles threw out his hand and an electric disk erupted from his palm. The disk hit Sonic, but it wasn't as bad as he expected. But that was quickly changed when Mephiles ran up and stabbed his shoulder with the Dark Keyblade. Sonic clutched his shoulder and remained firmed, despite the pain. But Mephiles spun around on his heels and cut across Sonic twice to knock him to the ground.

"Are you ready to surrender yet?" Mephiles questioned.

"Not in this lifetime." Sonic said.

"I guess that's good, seeing as you won't have one." Mephiles chuckled.

Mephiles brought down the Dark Keyblade, but Sonic rolled away to the side. Unfortunately, the aftershock of the Dark Keyblade created a wall of electricity that crashed into Sonic. while Sonic was down, Mephiles attempted another stab at him. Sonic held up his Keyblade and blocked Mephiles' attack with the guard ring. Sonic kicked the dark seeker in the chest and flipped him over his head. Sonic quickly got up to his feet and swiped across Mephiles' chest several times before he had a chance to get up. Mephiles was thrown back to the barrier. Sonic swung his Keyblade down for the final blow when a sudden surge of electricity surrounded Mephiles' body. A random bolt struck Sonic the chest and sent him flying to the other side of the barrier. Sonic watched as Mephiles slowly drew to his feet with a crazed expression plastered on his face.

"Don't you see yet?" Mephiles said wildly. "The darkness is the ultimate weapon!"

"You're wrong!" Sonic stated. "I once thought that the Keyblade was the greatest weapon. But I soon realized there was something more powerful than any Keyblade: my heart."

"The heart is truly a magnificent power." Mephiles nodded. "But as powerful it is, it can be easily broken."

"You say you now everything, but you keep proving yourself wrong." Sonic chuckled. "My friends are always with me in my heart. As long as they never forget me, my heart shall never be broken."

"Wake up from your delusional fantasy." Mephiles said. "This is reality. Darkness is the strongest power in the universe."

"Oh, yeah?" Sonic replied. "Then prove it."

"With pleasure." Mephiles grinned.

Suddenly, all the light in the hall was absorbed by the Dark Keyblade. The Dark Keyblade started to hover into the air with its master along side it. before Sonic had time to realize it, Mephiles charged forward with blinding speed. Sonic dodged out of the way, only receiving a small gash at his side. he turned towards Mephiles direction, only to find that he had disappeared. Suddenly a dark portal opened to the side and Mephiles shot out of it like a cannon. Sonic dived out of the way, receiving a scratch on his back this time, as Mephiles disappeared through another dark portal. Mephiles repeated this step over and over again until Sonic was covered in nothing but bruises and cuts. Sonic fell to the ground and Mephiles landed in front of him.

"Such is the feeble power of the Keyblade Master." Mephiles smirked. "In the end, he was nothing more than a mere pawn."

"I'm...not done." Sonic moaned.

"Oh, but I think you are." Mephiles said, raising the Dark Keyblade. "And now we end this."

Mephiles swung down the Dark Keyblade, this time with no interference. As Sonic lay there, he began thinking why he was here. Hollow Bastion was his birth home; he wanted to take it back. Espio was his best friend; he needed to save him. And Amy...

"Amy, I..." Sonic whispered. "I won't give up!"

In an amazing outcome, Sonic somehow regained his strength and swung around his Keyblade. His Keyblade knocked away its dark copy and cut across Mephiles' chest. As Mephiles cried out in pain, Sonic realized he had won. Mephiles fell back to the floor in defeat. But the dark seeker did not give up that easily. He disappeared the moment he touched the ground, taking Espio with him.

"Hey, give Espio back!" Sonic shouted.

"Sonic, there's no time, mate!"

Sonic looked over to the dark keyhole that Black Doom created. Spyro's time was up and Angel and Marine were back. With Mephiles defeat, the barrier had disappeared and his friends were able to reach Sonic.

"We need to close the keyhole." Storm stated.

Sonic looked back to where Espio disappeared, but decided to worry about him later. He walked over to the dark keyhole and held his Keyblade to it. but to there disappointment, a beam of light did not come and close the keyhole.

"It won't work." Silver said. "The keyhole isn't finished yet."

"Maybe we should wake Amy up." Angel suggested.

"I think that's right." Sonic said, looking over to Amy's lifeless body. "If we can free her heart, the keyhole will be finished. But how do I get out of my own body?"

"How did you get it in the first place?" Marine asked.

"I don't know." Sonic shrugged.

He looked at Amy's lifeless form and felt helpless. How was he supposed free her heart when he doesn't even know how he got it in the first place? Then his eyes wandered to another item in the area: the Dark Keyblade. Sonic recalled Mephiles' words from when he introduced the Keyblade to them.

"_Unlike yours, mine has the power to unlock people's hearts._"

Without giving it a second thought, Sonic walked over to the Dark Keyblade. He slowly made his way over, partly not wanting to go through with it. But if it was to save Amy, then he had no choice. the others remained silent, but wondered what Sonic was up to. When they saw Sonic pick up the Dark Keyblade, their thoughts became clear.

"Wait, Sonic!" Silver exclaimed. "There has to be another way!"

"We'll think of something, we promise!" Storm yelled.

"Why are they yelling?" Marine asked, being the only one who didn't understand.

"Sonic's going to kill himself to save Amy!" Angel explained frantically.

"He can't do that!" Marine cried fearfully.

Despite all their desperate yells and cries, Sonic knew this had to be done. Sonic turned to his friends and surprised them all with a cheerful smile.

"Sorry, but this is the only way." Sonic said happily. "Silver, you are a great teacher; I was proud to be your student. Storm, you are big and strong, but you have the kindest heart. Angel, you gave up your happiness to help us, and for that I'll never forget you. Marine, I know you will grow up to be a great adventurer someday."

"Sonic, stop!" Marine cried hysterically.

"Later." Sonic said calmly.

Of all of the heroes, Marine was the only one who tried to stop him. But by the time she reached him, it was too late. Sonic had turned the Dark Keyblade and ran it through his own heart. The Dark Keyblade was suddenly engulfed by a bright light radiating from Sonic's chest. The Dark Keyblade pulled itself from the Keyblade Master and vanished from existence; replaced by six balls of light. The six balls of light floated towards the six princesses' and returned their beloved hearts. Finally, a seventh heart emerged from Sonic's chest. As it floated, a red gem formed from the ball and shot towards the golden heart. It lodged itself into the final hole; the keyhole was complete. The final ball of light returned to Amy and she awoke again.

"Wha? What happened?" Amy groaned.

"Sonic!" Marine cried. "Sonic!"

Upon hearing the cry, Amy shot up. She found Sonic, weak and tired, but smiling all together. As the blue hedgehog fell backwards, she realized what happened. Sonic was dying.

"Sonic!" Amy yelled.

Amy jumped to her feet and ran over to catch Sonic. But when her arm wrapped around him, his body evaporated into tiny fragments of light. She could only stand there, watching, as Sonic's life was departing into the dark abyss. The only sound made was from Marine desperate pleas.

"Sonic!" Marine cried. "Come back, Sonic!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Sonic frail body drifted aimlessly into the pits of darkness. Not a single trace of light could be seen anywhere. His body was weak and his eyes were blind; death had taken its newest victim.

"What's happening to me?" Sonic asked weakly. "Is this what death feels like?"

"_You pathetic rat! You can't do anything without my help!_"

All of a sudden, Sonic could feel several tendril reach out and grasping him everywhere. Sonic's mind told him to fight, but his body refused to respond. And the tendrils dragged him deeper into the darkness.

* * *

Back with the heroes, everyone was in mourning. Silver slammed his fist into the golden heart, Storm and Angel bowed their heads in respect, and Amy continued to stare into the darkness. But the one who was affected most by this was Marine. She sat there on the floor, crying, desperately asking for Sonic to come back.

"Please, come back." Marine sobbed.

"He's not coming back, Marine." Silver gasped. "He's gone. Lost forever in the darkness."

"But he promised we would go on adventures together!" Marine yelled. "He promised! You lied to me! I hate you, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

"Don't say that." Amy whispered. She wrapped her arms around the raccoon protectively. Marine started to calm down from the warmth Amy gave off. "He's not gone, I can feel it. I simply refuse to let him go."

"Such sentiments are useless at this time. Especially when all of my plans had gone accordingly."

At the sound of the voice, the heroes turned and found a new figure standing across from them. He looked like a hedgehog except for most of his body was made of black crystal and ooze. His eyes sinister green with a red iris around them, his mouth was nowhere to be seen, and his quills were made of solid crystal. He wore silver trench coat and a heartless necklace.

"Who are you?" Storm questioned seriously.

"How sad that you don't remember me." The hedgehog said dramatically.

"I know that voice." Angel growled. "You're Mephiles!"

"That is correct." Mephiles said. His eyes roamed around to Amy, who looked scared at the sight of him. "So you have awaked at last, princess. Through the power of your heart, the keyhole is now complete. But, unfortunately, this means you have served you purpose to an extent. It's time I bid you farewell, Amy."

"How do you know my name?" Amy asked fearfully.

"I know everything about you, Amy." Mephiles said darkly. "From beginning to end."

Though for a brief moment, Amy and Mephiles' eyes gazed at one another. All of a sudden, a bright flash appeared inside Amy's head. Her head hurting, Amy nearly toppled over if not for Marine and Angel. Mephiles chuckled malevolently as he walked towards the pink princess. As he moved closer, Silver and Storm jumped in front of Amy to protect her.

"Stay back before we get serious!" Silver growled.

"Do you think we can beat him?" Storm whispered to Silver.

"I don't know." Silver said hesitantly. "But we won't let Sonic's sacrifice be in vain."

Despite Silver and Storm boasts, Mephiles felt no threat in them. He held out his crystallized claw to await an attack when something happened. All of a sudden, Mephiles' body began rigid and unstable. He looked like he was struggling against something.

"Impossible!" Mephiles roared. "How can you be doing this?!"

just then, a faint light started to emerge from Mephiles' body. The lights started to form an image and soon Espio could be seen struggling to break free from Mephiles body.

"No, you won't use me for this." Espio groaned diligently.

"Espio!" Amy exclaimed.

You've got to run!" Espio yelled. "The heartless are coming!"

"You mean they're already here." Mephiles said wickedly.

True to both of their words, a small band of Neo Shadows stared to appear before Mephiles and Espio. Mephiles, finally back in control, swatted at the image of Espio and eradicated it. Just when Siler and Storm started to kill of the Neo Shadow's more began taking their place. Even some Wizards, Defenders, and Wyvern were starting to appear.

"There are too many of them." Storm said, tossing a defender to the side. "We have to retreat."

"I don't normally say this," Silver said, knocking off a Wyvern. "But Storm is right. We've got to leave."

"But what about the others?" Angel asked, referring to Naruto and the princesses.

"They'll have to find a way out on there own." Silver said. "Now come on!"

Silver formed a barrier to stop the heartless, which bought them enough time to run for it. Mephiles chuckled at Silver's attempts and merely held out his claw to disintegrate the barrier.

"They won't get far." Mephiles stated. "Not with the heartless growing stronger by the minute." He turned on his heels and faced a shadowing being different then the heartless. "I expect you to finish the job."

"As you wish, master."

It was Dark Sonic. With the real Sonic trapped in darkness, Dark Sonic found a window of opportunity. Through the powers of his dark form, Dark Sonic eroded into the floor. Meanwhile, with our heroes. The new band of five struggled endlessly to reach the entrance to the castle. Along the way, they were faced with more heartless than they had ever seen before. And the fact they were getting stronger didn't really help with the cause. Finally, after three levels of heartless, the heroes made it to the entrance hall. Silver, Storm, Angel, and Marine were waiting by the door, but Amy was still at the top of the stairs.

"Come on, Amy." Angel said. "We've got to go."

"But we can't just leave the other princesses behind." Amy said worriedly.

"We don't stand a chance in our current state." Silver said logically. "And besides, Naruto is helping them out."

Amy thought about it and figured Silver was right. She skipped down the stairs and reached the door along with the others. They pushed open the door, breathing in the air of freedom. But it was more bitter than anticipated. For once they opened the door; Dark Sonic could be found blocking the way.

"Going somewhere?" Dark Sonic questioned.

"Sonic?" Amy asked hopefully.

"It's Dark Sonic." Marine growled. "Sonic's evil half."

"Aw, that hurt, Marine." Dark Sonic said dramatically. "And here I thought we were friends."

"Don't you dare mock us!" Silver hissed. "If we have to, we'll destroy you as well."

"Bring it on." Dark Sonic challenged.

"Wait!" Amy cried out before they could start attacking. She gently grasped Sonic's hand. "Sonic, I know you're in there somewhere."

"Sonic is dead." Dark Sonic stated. "The darkness destroys all those who are weak."

"No, I know you're still in there, Sonic." Amy said. "Please, come back to me."

Dark Sonic was torn. On one hand, he had his orders to destroy the girl, but something in his dark heart was stopping him from doing so. Could it be that Sonic's kindness had rubbed off on him. before he even had time to ponder this, a group of Neo Shadow emerged from the floor and surrounded the group.

"I knew it!" Silver exclaimed. "It's a trap!"

"Quick!" Angel called. "Protect Amy!"

And the heroes scattered into four different directions. Silver started killing as many Heartless as he could with a round of lightning magic. Storm relied on his musclues and crushed everything in sight. Angel was more strategic and had the Heartless killing each other. Marine, with rage brimming in her heart, blast everything Neo Shadow in sight. But the more they killed, the more that would appear. But unknown to the heroes, a particular group appeared around Amy and Dark Sonic.

"Just give up." Dark Sonic said. "It will be over in a moment."

"I'm not worried." Amy said smiling. "Because this time, I'm saving you."

Dark Sonic looked bewildered. Would she really be willing to give up her life for Sonic? Then again, Sonic had done the same thing for him. Was this really what it felt like to be whole? Was this how love was supposed to feel like? The Neo Shadows jumped and dived down on Amy. At the last second, Dark Sonic dived on Amy to shield her with his body. A few seconds later, the other heroes noticed the massive pile of shadows near the door.

"Amy!" Marine called.

"We'll save you!" Storm shouted.

But before they could take the first steps, a sudden ray of light erupted from the massive pile. The Heartless were blown to the walls and forced back into the darkness. The heroes could see it, but they would not believe it. The dark hedgehog had protected her from the Heartless, but not the way he was before.

"Amy, thank you." Sonic whispered.

"Sonic." Amy replied happily. "Is that really you?"

"Only one true blue around here." Sonic grinned.

"Sonic!"

Sonic turned and found his friends looked stunned to see him alive. Silver looked totally clueless, which was a first for him. Storm and Angel were singing and dancing around in circles. But Marine went farther than any of them. With tears in her eyes, Marine jumped onto the hedgehog, knocking him to the floor.

"I knew you were alive, mate!" Marine cried happily.

"Ok, Marine, you can stop now." Sonic groaned. Marine jumped off and Sonic slowly got back to his feet. "Man, remind me never to do that again."

"I'll beat you upside the head if you do." Silver threatened amusingly.

The group laughed loudly at Sonic, who was crouching behind Amy fearfully. But the joke didn't last long. A new group of Neo Shadows emerged from the darkness and Sonic took it up upon himself to summon his Keyblade. They may have been outnumbered, but the group felt confident with their leader back. Just as one of the Neo Shadows jumped, Naruto appeared out of nowhere and cut it down the middle with a kunai.

"Naruto!" Marine praised.

"Guy, you got to get out of here!" Naruto warned. "There are Heartless everywhere!"

"Come with us." Sonic offered. "We can escape together."

"I told you, I'm not leaving without Sakura." Naruto said, cutting across another Neo Shadow. "Now get out of here!"

Seeing as how there was no way to convince him, Sonic grabbed Amy's wrist and ran out of the castle. Silver and the others quickly followed. As they reached the elevator to the Gears; Silver grabbed his before exiting the castle, Amy looked back with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"Mephiles." Amy mumbled. "What's happened to you?"

"You know that freak show, Amy." Sonic asked her.

"That freak show is my father." Amy stated.

* * *

**The darkness grows and new revelations are revealed. Can Sonic bring himself to kill Amy's father? Will Mephiles achieve his goal of obtaining the Four Paths? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version.**

**Please, read and review.**


	35. Ready for Departure

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Four: Ready for Departure

"Tell me what happened." Metal said.

After narrowly escaping a hoard of ravenous heartless, Sonic and his friends, along with Amy, departed from Hollow Bastion. Upon Sonic's suggestion, the gang hastened towards Traverse Town, hoping Metal would be able to help. Unfortunately, upon arriving, they were swarmed by a crowd of Wyvern Heartless. If not for Omega's excellent timing, they would never have made it to the house. Amy and Angel sat on the bed with Tikal as Sonic, with Marine, Storm and Silver's help, explained the whole incident at Hollow Bastion. From the Keyblade to Dark Sonic. Once finished, Metal looked in deep thought.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Metal said. "Mephiles always did seem the type to give into the darkness."

"You knew him?" Amy asked surprised.

"Metal was once a maintenance robot created by Mephiles." Tikal explained. "When Mephiles began experimenting on the heart, he transformed Metal into a biomechanical being by giving him a heart."

"But once I realized what Mephiles was doing, I detached myself from him." Metal continued. "But right now, we have something bigger to worry about."

"Like what?" Storm asked.

"Cream has reported that there are more Heartless in town than ever." Tikal said. "She has been busy rescuing those who haven't already been turned into one of them."

"The darkness is growing stronger with every passing second." Metal stated. "And now I know why. When you left Hollow Bastion, you forgot to close something very important."

"THE KEYHOLE!!" The Sonic Team screamed.

"I can't believe we forgot to close it before we left." Silver growled, hitting himself for his stupidity.

"Well, we were kind of distracted at the moment." Angel said sympathetically. "With Mephiles coming back and Sonic being turned into a heartless, it's enough to make anyone forget."

"She right." Metal nodded. "There's no point in beating yourself up."

"All right, so all we've got to do is seal the keyhole, right?" Sonic questioned.

"Maybe." Metal said hesitantly. "But no one knows what will happen once the keyhole is sealed."

"But we can't just stand here!" Sonic exclaimed, causing everyone but Metal to jump. "We've got to do something! The Heartless are running around mad and Mephiles still has Espio under his control."

"That's right; you still have one more friend to save." Metal said calmly. "From what you have told me, Espio forged a False Keyblade through Mephiles. I haven't seen one of those since the Keyblade War. From what I can remember, they're usually forged from some type of energy." He looked in Amy's direction. "My guess is that it was created by the captive princess's hearts. But without Amy's, it was incomplete and powerless. Now that it's destroyed, the princesses should be awake by now." He looked back to Sonic. "Don't worry, Sonic. If anyone can save Espio, you can."

"And you won't do it alone, mate." Marine said.

"Cause we'll be with ya till the end." Storm said.

"You can count on me." Angel grinned.

Sonic felt his heart soar with his friends surrounding and supporting him. But the only one who didn't seem eager was Silver. Sonic knew he was still putting himself down for betraying them. Like Sonic, the others were also taking notice of this. They stared at the Babylon mystic for a moment before he turned to them. Greatly enough, he stared back and gave them a sign of confidence.

"Don't worry about a thing, Sonic." Silver smirked. "Nothing can go wrong while I'm around."

"Thanks...Master Silver." Sonic bowed respectfully.

"Master Silver?" Silver repeated. "Great, now I'm feeling old."

The others had a good laugh at the hedgehog's expense. Suddenly, the door flew open and Everyone was fast to react. Sonic and Metal drew their weapons, Silver prepared a spell, Storm clenched his fist, Angel growled, Marine readied her blasts. They sighed in relief when they realized it was just Cream and Shahra.

"Good, I thought we were in danger." Metal said, putting away his sword.

"Hello to you, too, Metal." Shahra said sarcastically. She looked around the room and noticed Sonic and the group. "Oh, Sonic, I thought I would find you somewhere around here."

"What are you doing here, Shahra?" Sonic asked.

"I was fighting some Heartless in the Second District when I ran into Shahra." Cream explained. "She helped me save a pink dragon from the Heartless and asked to help look for you."

"A pink dragon." Marine said thoughtfully. "Where does that sound familiar?"

"That sounds like Ember." Storm said. "You know: the dragon Spyro is looking for."

"What's she doing here?" Angel asked.

"She said she wanted to find Spyro." Shahra explained. "She doesn't know why, but her heart somehow led her to this town. After Cream and I saved her from the Heartless, we left her in the care of Salla, the Egg-Keeper."

"Then we oughta go visit her." Angel said excitingly.

"Yeah, we could reunite Spyro and Ember again." Sonic smiled. "And I can give back the rest of these dragon eggs."

"Where do you even keep those things?" Angel asked curiously.

"Um...some things are better left secret." Sonic said awkwardly. "Anyway, let's just hurry to Salla's place."

"Before you go, perhaps you would like me to revive that summoning stone." Shahra said kindly.

"How does she know this stuff?!" Sonic yelled.

"How did she know Sonic had a stone?" Amy whispered to Silver.

"Between you and me," Silver replied lowly. "Shahra excelled in mind reading during our training days."

Amy giggled from the information and at Sonic's dumbfounded expression. Sonic reached into his quills for the red stone he found from Black Doom's remains. Shahra graciously took it into her hands and scanned the contents within the stone.

"This spirit is...an unusual one." Shahra said strangely.

"What do you mean?" Angel asked.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" Shahra said.

Shahra waved a hand over the red stone, enveloping it in the usual glow. Silver and Storm were chosen and a ghostly figure to a solid form and erupted from the stone in a flash of light. Sonic and his friends were used to the light by now, but it blinded the others, including Metal. When the light faded, a new creature appeared at Shahra's feet. The creature resembled a purple fox with some dinosaur features around its face. He had a small pair of black wings and a red jewel on his forehead.

"Aww, it's cute." Amy and Cream said simultaneously; the guys rolled their eyes.

"Whoa, what a ride." The creature said. He looked around and noticed his watchers. "Ahh! Freaks!"

"Who are you calling a freak?!" Angel exclaimed.

"METAL CANNON!" The creature yelled.

Much to everyone's surprise, the strange creature started spitting cannon balls from its mouth. The group scrambled to get out the way of its line of fire. Shahra tried to make a grab for it, but the creature jumped out of the way into a corner. As it continued its assault, Metal quickly kicked up the bed and used the mattress to soften the blows. Sonic made a quick grab for Amy and Shahra and dived down behind the bed with the others.

"Bonza! It he wasn't trying to kill us; that would actually be cool!" Marine cheered.

"We have to find a way to calm him down." Sonic said. "Maybe one of us should go and stop him from firing at us."

"Thanks for volunteering, Sonic." Metal said.

"Say what?" Sonic questioned.

Before he even had a chance to realize it, Metal grabbed Sonic by the scruff of his neck and threw him over. At once, the strange creature started firing cannonballs once the blue hedgehog was in sight. Sonic quickly rolled away and dived for the little monster. But the creature slinked its way from under Sonic's grip. The creature prepared to fire again until he realized that Sonic had thrown his Keyblade. The Keyblade's guard ring smacked across the creature's face, rendering him temporarily dazed. Metal saw this and quickly grasped the creature by its tail and snapping its mouth shut. With the little monster caught, the other heroes slowly made their way out of their hiding place.

"Well, that was...interesting." Amy said awkwardly.

"Who know such a cute little thing could be so deadly." Cream said.

"And so feisty." Metal said.

The creature struggled in Metal's hands, trying to get free, but it was no go for him. The creature slowly started to calm down once it realized that they weren't going to harm it. Once it had stopped struggling, Metal gently placed him on the floor.

"Now that we're all settled down," Sonic said calmly. "Who are you?"

"Who am I?" The creature said dramatically. "Who am I? I am the Knight of Legends, the Sovereign of Salvation, and the greatest hero the Digital World has ever seen. I go by many names, but you may call me Dorumon."

"Uh...right." Tikal sweat dropped. "But about your world, it's kinda..."

"The denizens of our world shall fear no more!" Dorumon interrupted dramatically. "Know only that the great protector of the Digital word will always be there to protect our home from the darkness!"

"Uh...Mr. Protector, your world is destroyed." Angel interrupted curtly.

"Oh...this is a bit awkward." Dorumon said.

"You're telling us." Sonic said. "But, you can still help protect the rest of the worlds. Those Heartless are everywhere, trying to take over every world. With your help, we'll be that much closer to defeating them for good."

"Hmm, I like your style, kid." Dorumon nodded. "All right, I'll join you. If you ever need one of brave heart and noble sinew, don't hesitate to call upon Dorumon the Great."

"Yeah, we'll call." Angel said; Dorumon vanished. "If we ever need someone insane."

As Dorumon vanished, Silver and Storm were found in his place.

"How was he?" Silver asked.

"Looks like Midna isn't the only one we won't be calling." Sonic muttered.

After saying a few quick goodbyes to Metal and the others, the Sonic Team started their way towards the Second District. Or at least they would be if Sonic hadn't been holding them up. After just reuniting with Amy, it was hard for Sonic to say goodbye to her. Knowing he wasn't making any progress, Storm lifted him onto his shoulders and carried him away.

"You sure know how to make an impression on a lady." Storm chuckled.

"Shut up." Sonic said.

Storm only let Sonic down when they walked through the doors to the Second District. With the Final Keyhole still open, the Heartless were sure to be strong and plentiful. So far, they had made it out of the alleyway without running it a single Heartless; the heroes were even more cautious. The reached the main area of the Second District; the hole where the Black Bull had emerged had been refilled with dirt. They walked out into the open, where they would at least be expecting one Heartless. But, to their surprise, not a single one could be found.

"You would think we would be swarmed by now." Angel said thoughtfully.

"Never look a gift horse in the mouth." Silver said. "We should seize this opportunity before the Heartless do show up." Silver turned to Sonic, Marine, and Angel. "You three go on to Salla's place. Storm and I will go look for Omega."

"How come, mate?" Marine asked.

"We think the heartless may be blocking the main pathway to Hollow Bastion." Storm said. "If that's true, then we'll be blown out of the sky before we reach there. We think that since Omega knew the original route, maybe he'll know an alternate one."

"That's a good idea." Sonic nodded. "I'm not exactly a big fan up getting blown up at five thousand feet."

"You go on ahead and we'll meet you later." Silver said. "Let's all meet up at Metal's training area."

"Got it, mate." Marine saluted.

With the plans made, the team split up into two groups. However, they were unaware of the pair of blood red eyes following their movements. While Silver and Storm disappeared through the doors to the First District, Sonic and the girls walked down the alleyway towards Salla's house. Sonic reached into his quills and pulled out the purple stone that belonged to Spyro. Sonic tossed the stone into the air. Marine and Angel's essences were sucked into the stone and Spyro appeared in their place.

"Hey, Sonic." Spyro greeted his friend. "Any Heartless you need me to take out?"

"Actually, I have a different mission for you." Sonic smirked. He reached behind his back and pulled out a stockpile of dragon eggs. "We're going to bring back the last of these dragon eggs and maybe say hello to Ember."

"Ember's here?!" Spyro asked frantically. Sonic nodded. "That's great and everything, but...I just don't know."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic asked.

"Remember the story I told you." Spyro said sadly. "She was very upset after what I had said to her. It wouldn't surprise me if she never wanted to see me again."

"But the reason she came to this town was to find you." Sonic stated. "I don't know Ember much, but I'm sure she really cares about you. She has a good heart and will no doubt forgive you."

"I hope you're right." Spyro said.

Though through much convincing, Sonic persuaded Spyro to enter the house. As Sonic had expected, Salla was cleaning the dragon eggs that were stacked in rows upon the shelves. But she wasn't the only one working. The pink dragon Sonic had seen in the crystal case at Hollow Bastion was also helping by cleaning the eggs on the bottom rack. It was only when the door snapped shut that Salla and Ember noticed Sonic; Spyro was hiding behind the blue hedgehog.

"Oh, Sonic, how good to see you." Salla said happily.

"Nice to see you again, too, Salla." Sonic said. He held out the dragon eggs. "I think these belong to you."

"Goodness me, you found the last ones." Salla praised. "I must admit, I had some doubts. But you have proven yourself a true gentlemen."

"Really, it was nothing." Sonic said embarrassingly. He looked over to the pink dragon. "Hey, you're Ember, right?"

"Yeah, why?" Ember asked.

"I have someone who wants to meet you." Sonic said.

Ember looked confused at the blue hedgehog until he moved aside to reveal a purple dragon. There was a bit of an awkward moment between the two as they unblinkingly stared at one another. The room was silent, only broken by Salla's hasty movements of placing the dragon eggs. Spyro broke the stare when he looked down sadly.

"Ember..." Spyro said hesitantly. "I'm sor..."

"Spyro!" Ember cried.

All of a sudden, Ember ran up to the purple dragon and started nuzzling the side of his face. A blush crept around Spyro's face, much to Sonic's amusement. When Ember pulled away, his face was still red as a tomato. Ember started to giggle.

"You look just like Flame." Ember giggled.

"Aren't you mad?" Spyro asked confused. "After that stuff I said about you last time."

"Oh, I could never stay mad at you, Spyro." Ember said pleasantly. "But we'll have to work on that attitude if you are going to be the father of our children."

"Whoa! Hold up!" Spyro exclaimed. "Who said anything about having kids?!"

"You can't escape my love, Spyro." Ember growled playfully.

Spyro turned and tried to make a run for it, but the pink dragon was already upon him. She jumped on his back and the two started rolling around the floor. Sonic moved out of the way so that we would not be trampled over. Sonic looked for Salla for help, but the dragon nanny seemed unconcerned about the two.

"I'm guessing this is normal?" Sonic asked.

"They do this every week." Salla sighed. "Spyro yells at her, she cries, they make up, and Ember tries to get him into an engagement."

"Got to feel bad for Spyro." Sonic sniggered.

"Yes, he does seem to attract trouble." Salla chuckled. "I remember one time – look, the eggs are hatching!"

At that, Spyro and Ember stopped their little play run and ran over to the dragon eggs. Sonic stood behind the two and stared at the nearest egg with brightened interest. The egg that Sonic was looking at gave a white dragon that was apparently upside-down inside its shell. Spyro chuckled before grabbing the baby dragon's tail with his mouth and setting it down on the floor. The little dragon giggled and pawed at Spyro's snout. Salla had tears in her eyes as the rest of the ninety-eight eggs began to hatch.

"A true miracle." Salla sobbed. "We are together after all this chaos." Salla turned to Sonic. "And it's all because of you."

"Ah, it was nothing." Sonic waved.

But Salla ignored his comment and nearly crushed Sonic's spine when she hugged him. Ember and Spyro were playing with the new born white dragon until Ember mentioned something about babies. Spyro shot out of the house faster than you could blink.

"Do I even want to know?" Sonic asked confused as Salla released him.

"You probably don't." Ember giggled. "It was nice to see Spyro again. And when you stop Mephiles, we can see Flame and the Elders again. I'll bet Spyro is looking forward to seeing Ignitus again."

"Yeah, about Mephiles..." Sonic hesitantly. "I'm not sure if I can..."

Sonic was cut off by a deafening roar, followed by a pained grunt. The grunt sound like Spyro. Realizing this, Sonic sped out of the house with Ember and Salla following. They stepped out of the alleyway, where they could get a good look of Spyro fending off another dragon. It was a pitch black dragon with a red underbelly about twice Spyro's size. It was long and slender with two massive wings, six horns on its face, a blade-like tail, and iron cuffs around her arms and neck. Spyro weakly stood up, blood leaking from the side of his face. The black dragon raised its claw to finish the job when Sonic jumped in. He summoned his Keyblade and remained firm as the dragons claw clashed against the blade.

"Ember! Salla! Get back into the house!" Sonic yelled.

They both nodded and raced back inside to protect the baby dragons. Sonic made a firm grip on his Keyblade and successfully push the dragon back. After a few seconds of rest, Spyro was able to regain his senses and stood by Sonic's side. Spyro crouched low and Sonic held his Keyblade on guard, by the dragon merely laughed. They could tell it was female.

"So this is the "legendary" purple dragon." The black dragon laughed. "A little runt under my claws." She shifted her gaze over to Sonic. "Oh, that's an interesting weapon your holding. What do you call it?"

"It's called the Keyblade." Sonic said fiercely.

"So that's the fabled Keyblade." The dragon continued to laugh. "I never would have expected it to be in the hands of a rat."

"Hey, I'm not a rat!" Sonic yelled. "I'm a hedgehog!"

"Whatever." The dragon waved casually.

"All right, who are you?" Spyro growled. "Why did you attack me?"

"I go by the name of Cynder." Cynder said. "I am here upon the wishes of the Dark Master?"

"The Dark Master?" Sonic repeated. "Who's the Dark Master?"

"The Dark Master is the title of the first purple dragon ever born." Spyro explained seriously. "He was once a respected hero, even the Higher Powers recognized him. But he grew a lust for power. Eventually his power became so great that the Dragon Elders were forced to seal him into the Convexity. But how did he escape?"

"I'll bet you anything that the Heartless are behind it." Sonic said.

"Maybe, maybe not." Cynder smirked. "But you won't live long enough to find out."

"Watch it!" Spyro warned. "Here she comes!"

Cynder started off with a booming roar and stood up on her hind legs. She raised her claw and slashed down on the two. Sonic quickly grabbed Spyro and rolled away. Spyro separated himself from Sonic's grip and made a charging run for the ferocious female. Cynder made another swipe at him, but the purple dragon kicked off the ground and flipped over her head. For a moment, Spyro halted himself in midair and shot a massive fireball from his maw. Cynder caught this, but her arms could reach to block in time. In a desperate act, Cynder raised her tail and swiped across the ball of flame with the blade end. Spyro landed, steamed that his attack didn't work.

"I must admit, that caught me by surprise." Cynder complimented. "But you'll have to do better if you wish to defeat me."

"I wasn't trying to defeat you." Spyro smirked. "I was just trying to distract you."

"Distract me?" Cynder repeated. "From what?"

"SONIC WIND!"

Cynder shot her head around and saw Sonic jumping up with a ball of pressurized wind in his hand. Sonic thrust his hand forward, intending it to slam into her head. But the black dragon suddenly moved her wing in the way of his target. Sonic's attack made contact with the wing, releasing all its power. When the attack was over, there was a large gaping hole in the middle of Cynder's wing. Outraged, Cynder cut her tail across Sonic's chest. The blade didn't cut deep, but the force sent Sonic tumbling towards the bell tower wall. Cynder slowly walked up her prey with her tail held out in front.

"You are really starting to annoy me." Cynder growled. "I'm sure my master wouldn't mind an extra serving."

Cynder played with her meal as she swung her tail back and forth between Sonic's eyes. This time, she went for the kill. She swung her tail downwards on the crouching hedgehog. Just as her tail was an inch from Sonic's face, it was frozen to the ground a moment later.

"What is this?" Cynder questioned.

"Forgetting someone." Spyro smirked as he jumped in front of Sonic. "I didn't get to have my chance to play."

"Spyro, get out of here." Sonic said. "Get back in your stone, she's too strong."

"Don't worry, I've got this covered." Spyro stated confidently.

"You should have listened to your friend." Cynder said menacingly. "Now you'll suffer an even greater death."

Cynder tugged her tail in it broke free from its icy prison. Cynder swung her tail again, but Spyro was better prepared this time. In an unexpected turn, Spyro jumped on his tail and started spinning like a tornado. Just as Cynder's tail was about to make contact, an electric field appeared around Spyro's spinning body. Cynder screeched in pain from shock and dropped to her knees. This was what Spyro was waiting for. He stopped spinning and landed back on his feet. The purple dragon turned his head before shooting back with a green mace emitting from his maw. The mace hit at Cynder's face, sending her rocketing into the fountain on the other side of the district.

"Spyro, you are amazing." Sonic said amazed.

"Flame used to always say that." Spyro grinned.

But this was no time for celebrating. Just when you think its over, Cynder flaps her wings and hovers over them from the sky. Cynder opened her mouth and a red aura began to form around her. Sonic jumped back to his feet at Spyro's side, ready to use the Keyblade at a moment's notice. But before Cynder had a chance to use her attack, a roar even louder than hers boomed around the district. Hearing this, Cynder stopped her attack.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sonic asked.

"Consider yourself lucky." Cynder said. "My master has called me back. We'll meet again very soon."

With all said and done, Cynder flew off into the night sky.

"What was that all about?" Sonic asked.

"I don't know, but I don't like it." Spyro said seriously.

After saying a few quick goodbyes to Ember and Salla, Spyro returned to his stone and Marine and Angel returned to the physical world. They headed towards the hotel for the secret entrance behind it to Metal's training ground. Unknown to them, Cynder had never left. She was standing at the top of the bell tower besides her master, Malefor.

"Why did you stop me from killing him?" Cynder questioned.

"You were careless." Malefor replied malevolently. "You underestimated the purple dragon and that would have led to your demise. Besides, we are only here to test the purple dragon's power. We'll have our chance again soon enough.

And with that, both dragon faded into the darkness.

* * *

The scene alters to Metal's training area. Sonic, Angel, and Marine emerged from beneath the water and were slowly dragging themselves to the stone floor under the glow of the Master Emerald. They were surprised, however, that Silver and Storm were not the only ones there. Metal and Amy were watching them, both completely dry.

"How did you get here without getting wet?" Sonic asked.

"There's a secret tunnel connecting to Shahra's house." Silver explained. "We didn't feel like swimming, so we took the tunnel instead."

"Thanks for the details." Sonic said sarcastically, dragging himself out of the water. "What did Omega say?"

"He's found another around Hollow Bastion." Storm said. "If we take a route through a wormhole, we should end up in the back of Hollow Bastion with the Heartless noticing us."

"Strewth! A wormhole!" Marine cheered. "I bet the creepy crawly is gigantic, mate!"

"A wormhole is a rip between space and time." Angel explained scientifically. "You see, by traveling through a wormhole, one by passes the laws of scientific traversing and..." Angel stopped when she noticed everyone's confused expressions. "It makes us go faster."

"Bonza!" Marine cheered.

"We better go into town and get ready." Silver said. "It's going to be a while before we reach the wormhole."

Silver and Storm turned towards the farther end of the area, no doubt headed for the secret tunnel. Angel and Marine followed them, leaving only Sonic, Amy, and Metal. Metal sat on one of the large rocks, sharpening his Metal Blade, while Amy stared down the watery pathway. She was staring at the tapestry that held the sun and the moon.

"A light at the end of the tunnel." Amy whispered.

"You know, that reminds me of the story my mom told me." Sonic said.

"Your mother was very beautiful." Amy said; Sonic stared at her in wonder. "I saw her while my heart was still inside of you."

"You know what I can't believe?" Sonic chuckled. "I looked everywhere, but I couldn't find you anywhere. Now that I realize it, I really didn't need to search at all. You were with me all this time." Sonic looked up to the Master Emerald; the glow seemed even more beautiful than ever. "Now it's time to bring Espio home."

"Do you think things will ever be the same between us?" Amy asked sadly. "My father has his..."

"Remember when I was Dark Sonic?" Sonic cut in. "I was lost in the darkness and I could find my way. The darkness was slowly eating away at me. But then Dark Sonic saved me." Amy gasped in surprise. "He told me that you were willing to give your life to save me. Dark Sonic said he felt happy for the first time and helped me back to the light." He turned to Amy. "Don't you see, it's because you never let me go that I was able to come back."

"I could never forget you, Sonic." Amy said. "You're too important too me to forget."

"And that's what will bring Espio back." Sonic said confidently. "It's because out hearts are connected to each other. I think that's what my mom was trying to tell me when she told me that story."

"If that's the case, then let's go." Amy said excitingly.

"Sorry, Amy." Sonic said. "But I can't bring you with me."

"Why not?" Amy pouted.

"It's way too dangerous for you." Sonic said sternly. "I don't mean that in a bad way, but I worked too hard to bring you back."

"So, I can't help?" Amy asked.

"You'd kinda get in the way." Sonic chuckled.

"All right, you win." Amy sighed. All of a sudden, Amy holds out Sonic's hand and dropped something in it. It was star formed from thelassa-shells. "Take this with you. It's my lucky charm, so be sure to bring it back to me."

"Don't worry." Sonic waved. "Nothing's gonna stop me from bring it back."

"Promise?" Amy asked.

"The promise of a lifetime." Sonic smiled.

"That's good to know." Amy smiled. "Don't ever forget, wherever you go, I'll always be with you."

Amy flashed one last smile to Sonic before walking towards the path that Silver and the others disappeared to. Sonic watched for a moment and then realized that the charm was made like a keychain. He switched it for the current one and watched it transform. It had a silver body with a colored star at the end, angel wings around the handle, and a heart imprinted in the hilt. Sonic stared at the new Keyblade, Oathkeeper, before realization crashed down on him. He would be taking on Mephiles, Amy's father.

"Something bothering you." Sonic nearly jumped out of his fur. He had forgotten that Metal was there. "You look troubled."

"Nothing. I was just thinking." Sonic frowned. "I was just wonder about Mephiles. Is he really Amy's...?"

"Yes, he is Amy's father." Metal said. "But that should not be a reason for you to hold back on him."

"But this is Amy's father we're talking about!" Sonic exclaimed. "I can't just go off and kill him! What would Amy think?!"

"It's amazing she even remembered him in the first place." Metal said. "When she was born, Mephiles was too busy with his research to even look at her." Metal stood up and walked next to Sonic. "Then, when she was growing up, Mephiles ignored her existence completely. All he ever cared about was his study of the darkness and the power of the heart."

"Man, that's harsh." Sonic scratched his head.

"It only gets worse." Metal said coldly. "When Mephiles ran out of test subject, he used his own wife for his experiments. She ended up being the first Heartless." Sonic flinched at the thought. "I was Amy's caretaker at the time and feared for her safety. To protect her, I cast her away in a small boat and sent her into the unknown."

"That's where me and Espio found her on the beach." Sonic added.

"Sonic, this man is a Heartless in every sense of the word." Metal stated. "When you face him, I beg that you do not show him any mercy. He certainly won't."

Sonic was even more lost and confused then before he asked Metal. Mephiles would be very powerful when he would face them. But if Sonic does somehow defeat him, will he have the courage to kill him? With his head pounding, Sonic trudged down the path that Amy disappeared to. Looks like destiny will have to choose its way.

* * *

The scene alters to a white pathway floating in an endless void of darkness. Everything was left in a state of depression and darkness consumed all. Any normal person would have died the minute they entered this godforsaken realm. But Espio the Chameleon was far from ordinary. Day after day, he would walk this endless path without a trace of light to guide him. He was hoping for anyone to wake him up from this nightmare. But this was real and he would never wake up. Growing tired, Espio dropped to his knees with a sense of hopelessness in his eyes.

"Sonic...Amy..." Espio whispered into the darkness. "I'm sorry for what I have done." He stared out into the darkness. "Is this a world of death? If it is then, I truly belong here. I don't belong in the light." Unknown to Espio, the shadows started to emerge and consume his body. "Maybe this is how my destiny ends. I only wish I could say goodbye to Sonic and Amy."

With all hope faded from his heart, Espio truly lost sight of the light. The darkness was swift and shrouded Espio in a cocoon of darkness. The chameleon inside could feel himself giving way to death. It was over. Or so he thought.

"Come on, kid!" A voice screamed. "Don't tell me you're giving up that easily!"

All of a sudden, the cocoon was penetrated by a flicker of light. As the light expanded, the darkness quickly retreated. Espio opened his eyes once more and saw a figure shrouded by the darkness. He couldn't see his face, but he could see the weapon he was holding. It was a Keyblade like Sonic's, but the appearance was different. The body was gold, the guard ring was white, and the keychain resembled a lamp surrounded by three commas. **(The Babylon Rogues' symbol)**

"A Keyblade?" Espio whispered. "Is that you Sonic?"

"Sorry, pal, I don't know anyone named Sonic." The figure said. "I was wandering the darkness when I found you. The darkness began to eat away at you, but my light pushed it away."

"I don't know who you are." Espio said. "But...what's happened to me?"

"The darkness captured your heart, but it couldn't take your body." The figure said. "So now your heart was left behind. In here, the place where all hearts taken by the darkness are gathered."

"Then...how do I get out of here." Espio asked desperately.

"The Door to Darkness will appear soon." The figure said. "But it won't let us cross through."

"Then what's the point of looking for it?" Espio asked.

"We need to find it and close it for good." The figure stated. "But in order to do that, we need two key and two hearts. Maybe that's why we're here. Maybe it was fate that led us here."

"Fate, huh?" Espio smirked. "I guess you seem to know everything."

"Actually, before I found the Keyblade, I didn't know any of this stuff." The figure admitted sheepishly.

"All right, I'll help." Espio said. "But answer me this, will Sonic and Amy be safe?"

"I don't think I can answer that." Th figure said. "But if there is one thing I've learned, your heart should be able to feel for those who are close to you. I know Wave, Blaze, Silver, and Storm are safe because I care for them more than myself."

After hearing these words, Espio closed his eyes. He tried to feel the hearts of Sonic and Amy. At the beginning, all he could see was darkness. But then a light cut through and showed Sonic and Amy together, safe from the darkness. With his answer found, he opened his eyes and smiled towards the figure.

"Thank you." Espio said.

* * *

**In the Darkness a light shall shine from within. Can Sonic gain the courage to defeat Mephiles? With Espio and his new friend escape from the darkness? Find out on the next Kingdom Heart: Sonic version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	36. Forgotten Legacy

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Five: Forgotten Legacy

After having Omega track the location of the wormhole, the Sonic Team hesitantly departed without a word to the others. The last thing any of them wanted to do was go back to the castle of evil, remembering all their terrible experiences. But surprisingly, the one who was against it the most was Sonic. Though Hollow Bastion was his birth home and he wanted to take it back, he still feared the battle against Mephiles. Could one little hedgehog with a key truly defeat the Seeker of Darkness? And even if he could, what would Amy think if he killed her father? Silver tried to take his mind off things by teaching him the next element: Earth.

"Earth is one of the more concentrated elements." Silver explained. He reached behind his back and pulled out a lump of clay. "You must focus your energy into the element to give it shape. Like this for example."

Silver held his palm open for Sonic to have a better view of the clay. Suddenly, the clay began to reshape itself without Silver moving it. It took the shape of a variety of things; Neo Shadow's, Cheese, a wolf, a dagger, Blaze, and even Mephiles. Sonic cringed backwards at the clay mold, nearly falling off his Gear. Silver saw this and sighed heavily, returning the mold to its original shape.

"What is with you, Sonic?" Silver questioned seriously.

"It's...nothing, really." Sonic stammered.

"This is about Amy's father, isn't it?" Silver said sternly.

"How'd you know?" Sonic asked in surprise.

"Who doesn't know, mate." Marine piped behind the blue hedgehog, causing him to nearly jump out of his fur. "We all went back to find you and heard you talking to Metal, mate."

"It's like Metal said, you can't hold back on Mephiles." Silver said

"But I don't know if I can." Sonic shrugged. "I know it's for the best, but this is Amy's..."

"We already know that, mate." Marine rolled her eyes, making herself dizzy. "Ooh, pretty colors."

"This is one battle, we can't afford to lose." Silver stated. "Even if it is against your friend's family."

Sonic still felt unsure of himself. This was starting to annoy most of the Sonic Team, if not all of them. No matter how much he tried, Silver couldn't keep Sonic's mind on the training. Finally, something good happened.

"Hey guys, look!" Angel shouted from Storm's Gear.

"Angel just spotted the wormhole ahead!" Storm shouted.

Just as the two had said, a massive black wormhole could be found on the side of the route towards Hollow Bastion. It was lucky they found it, too. A few seconds after the spotted it, a swarm of Neo Shadow Heartless on black Extreme Gear. The Neo Shadow's dived down and started swiping at every possible point. Since Marine and Silver were the only one who could fight at long range, they were depended on protecting them. But there were too many Heartless for them to destroy at once.

"We can't take them all, mate!" Marine exclaimed, dodging another Neo Shadow.

"We have no choice, but to run!" Silver instructed. "Everyone, into the wormhole!"

"How do we know it will take us to Hollow Bastion and not some far-off world?" Sonic asked.

"Would rather stay here?" Silver retorted, shocking a Heartless.

"Good point." Sonic nodded.

Breaking from the Heartless swarm, Sonic dived into the wormhole with Storm and Angel behind him; Silver and Marine brought up the rear. It was possibly the most uncomfortable ride any of them had ever been through. It was like trying to fit a large square into a small circle. But after what felt like hours, the five heroes flopped on solid land with a loud thud. Groaning and aching, the heroes found themselves to be at the Rising Falls where they started their last journey.

"I think I lost my spine back there." Storm moaned.

"Be thankful it's not your life." Angel said.

"The day is still young." Silver stated, looking up to the castle. For some reason, despite the Final Keyhole being open, the castle looked much clearer than last time. "That's strange. The darkness seems to be letting up around here."

"Yeah, I was wonder what was up with that." Naruto jumped from out of nowhere; his jacket missing and looking overwhelmingly tired. "Hey, guys. Welcome back."

"Naruto!" Marine cheered, slightly scaring the boy. "What happened to you, mate?"

"Yeah, and what happened to the castle?" Sonic continued. "Dark Sonic said there's a lot less darkness than before."

"I don't really know myself." Naruto shrugged. "One minute I'm fighting the Heartless, the next thing I know, they're taking off." He pointed to the sky. "When they left that weird Keyhole, they just started leaving one by one. I thought that would make it easier me to rescue Sakura and the other princesses."

"Yeah, where are they?" Angel asked.

"I broke them out, but they remained in the castle." Naruto said disapprovingly.

"Are they being held against their will?" Storm asked.

"No." Naruto replied. "I know Sakura wouldn't stay behind unless she had a good reason. Someone called Zelda told me to come out here and wait for you to come back. I had to fight my way down here, losing my jacket along the way." All of a sudden, he started crying. "And that was my favorite jacket, too!"

"But why would they just stay there, mate?" Marine asked.

"Why don't we go ask them ourselves?" Sonic said.

"Since I know my way around the castle, I'll take you to them." Naruto smirked as he turned away. "Try to keep up!"

Getting up to the castle gates was relatively easy. As they hoped along the stone steps up the falls, the only obstacle in their path was a small amount of Shadow Heartless. Naruto easily mended the situation by using his trusty Shadow Clone Jutsu and firing a barrage of kunai. For those that were left, Storm and Angel handled them with their specialty in close-range combat. Storm stopped the Shadows to the ground while Angel used strategy to get them to kill each other. With the annoyance out of the way, they rode the platform up to the castle gates. Unfortunately, it's never that easy. The moment they stepped off the platform, they were surrounded by a horde of Wyvern Heartless.

"Look's like all the good ones are still left." Sonic smirked, summoning the Oathkeeper.

"That's good." Silver said confidently. "For a moment there, I thought we were going to be left out of the fun."

"As your captain," Marine shouted. "I say, charge, mate!"

"You're not our captain!" The others exclaimed.

The wyvern dove down on the heroes, splitting them into two groups. While Storm, Angel, and Naruto went on ahead, Silver, Marine, and Sonic stayed behind to fight. Sonic flipped over on of the Wyvern and landed on its back, grasping its head. Sonic forcefully turned the Wyvern's head, forcing it to fly in that direction. As the two dived into the hive, Sonic swung the Oathkeeper at every Wyvern within reach.

"Yahoo!" Sonic cheered. "Ride 'em, Heartless!"

"Don't get cocky, Sonic!" Silver warned.

As another waved dived down upon him, Silver remained calm with his hand directed over his shoulder. In one swift flash, Silver thrust his hand forward, ejecting a wave of electricity. The Wyvern cried hoarsely before falling over the side rails, into the bottomless pit below. Marine was fending quite nicely. Being the smallest of the trio, it was more difficult for the Wyvern to capture her. Every time they missed, Marine would shoot them down with a burst of energy. She almost shot down the last one until she saw Sonic riding it. Noticing that all the others were finished, Sonic jumped off the Wyvern, seconds before it crashed into the wall. Sonic landed in front of the doors with a superior grin on his face.

"I see your back to your old self." Silver stated.

"Hey, if you going to save the world," Sonic smirked. "You might as well have fun doing it."

"That's the spirit, mate." Marine said. "You make your captain very proud."

"You're not our captain!" The hedgehogs roared.

"Geez, I get it." Marine frowned.

They pushed open the doors and walked into the Entrance Hall. Once inside, they found Naruto, Storm, and Angel finishing off a pack of annoying Defender Heartless. Storm snapped the neck of the last one and watched it fade into darkness.

"Man, those things are annoying." Angel moaned.

"Having a good time, no doubt." Silver chuckled.

"Stop enjoying this." Angel growled.

"Hey, let's worry about the Heartless before we kill each other." Sonic said logically, pushing Angel away from his teacher. He turned to Naruto. "Where are the princesses at anyway?"

"They're at that one place where we fought that three-eyed freak." Naruto stated.

"Then let's hurry, mates!" Marine yelled.

As Marine charged her way up the stairs, Sonic ran after her to make sure she didn't get into any trouble. They way those two acted, you would think they were brother and sister. The others followed them in a calmer manner until Silver suddenly stopped. The Babylon mystic threw out his hand, forming a barrier that Marine and Sonic ran into.

"Ow, what's the big idea, Silver?" Sonic said rubbing his aching head.

"I just felt a strange wave of energy coming from the library." Silver explained. "It's not chaos energy, but I know I've seen it somewhere before."

"Then let's investigate." Naruto suggested.

The others nodded at his idea and entered through the doors to the library. This place was the most memorable for Sonic. It was in the room where he last saw his mother. The group of six split up and wandered aimlessly through the many rows of books. Sonic would occasionally find Silver stopping to look at a particular book. The six quickly gathered together and stood around the corner of the last shelf, where they heard a humming noise. Naruto, being as impatient as he was, jumped out in plain sight, kunai in hand, to find...

"Naruto?"

At the sound of the voice, Naruto unknowingly dropped his kunai. The Sonic Team walked out from behind the bookshelf to make themselves known. They were surprised to find Sakura standing over the table with a book in her hand. She closed the book and smiled at the group, while Naruto nervously stepped forward.

"S-Sakura?" Naruto gasped. "Is it really you?"

"Well, it ain't a Heartless." Sakura smiled.

"Sakura!" Naruto cried.

Before she had a chance to react, Naruto grasped her tightly and wept openly on her shoulder. Sakura smiled sympathetically to her longtime friend. After the terrible ordeal he had gone through to save her, he at least deserved some comfort. She tired to hold him, but then she realized she began to lose circulation. Knowing the blonde demon didn't realize this, she did the only thing she could to snap him out of it: she punched him. The impact of the hit sent Naruto crashing into the bookshelf and an avalanche of books crashed down on him. The Sonic Team gaped while Sakura scratched her head sheepishly.

"Uh, guess I overdid it." Sakura said sincerely.

"Maybe a little." Naruto said, digging his way through the books. He was grinning from ear to ear. "At least you're back to normal."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Sakura giggled. She turned her attention to Sonic. "Oh, you must be Sonic, right?" Sonic nodded. "Zelda and Rui told me a lot about you. Apparently, you are the only one who can solve our little keyhole problem."

"If you call an army of Heartless little." Storm mumbled.

"We'd like to help out, but there are still Heartless around." Sonic explained. "And even if we do make it to the keyhole, Mephiles wouldn't just leave it unguarded. By the time we fight whatever he left, we'll be too tired to fight."

"Zelda already thought of that and wanted me to give you this." Sakura said. She reached into her pack and pulled out a green crystal with a core that looked made of wind. "It's a crystal that comes in a pair. If you hold tightly to one, it will transport you to the location of the other crystal. Zelda has the other one."

"Way to think ahead." Silver praised, taking the green crystal. "I guess we should get going."

"I'll come with you." Naruto stated. "After all, you helped me get this far. I figure I should return the favor."

"Glad to have ya, bro." Sonic grinned.

"Naruto, before you go, I have something for you." Sakura said, reaching into her pack again. When she turned back, she was holding Naruto's lost jacket. "I think this belongs to you."

"My jacket!" Naruto screamed happily. He took it from he and swiftly placed it on. "Where did you find it?"

"While you were heading down, you lost it near the lifts." Sakura smiled. "You really need to be more careful with your things, Naruto."

"I'll try." Naruto grinned.

"One more thing." Sakura added.

Naruto stared in confusion as Sakura slowly started to edge closer to him. Then, to his pleasant surprise, she kissed his cheek. At that, Naruto fainted backwards; his grinned remained unchanged. Sakura and the Team laughed their hearts out at Naruto's actions. Storm quickly picked Naruto up to his shoulders and stood next to Silver before they took off. Silver clutched the green crystal in his hand. A sudden gale of green wind surrounded them, blocking their vision of their surroundings. When the gale had cleared, the heroes found themselves in the villain's meeting chamber.

"Now that's what I call service." Sonic whistled impressively.

Zelda and Rui were talking to two females the team had never met before when they noticed the hero's appearance.

"Oh, Sonic, you're here." Rui smiled. "We were so worried about you."

"Not as much as Wes is worried about you." Storm said. He looked to Zelda. "Link's also having a ruff time."

"Unfortunately we can't leave yet." Zelda said mournfully. She turned around and suddenly remembered the other woman in the chamber. "Oh, I just remembered, you haven't met the other princesses. This is Katara and Keira."

"Hello, I am Katara of the Southern Water Tribe." Katara introduced. "I come from a world where others are able to bend the elements."

"The name's Keira." Keira greeted. "I just happen to be the top mechanic in Haven City and a top notch racer."

"What are you all still doing here?" Angel asked. "Why haven't you left this place like Ember?"

"Ember could leave because she provided all the power she could." Rui explained. "But the rest of us are still needed here. We're doing all we can to stop the darkness from leaking out of the keyhole."

"Not much luck there." Marine muttered.

"You think you could do a better job!" Keira yelled.

"Actually, they can." Zelda stated. "He is the only one who has the power to seal the keyhole." Zelda walked past Keira and gently grasped Sonic's hand in a pleading manner. "Please, Sonic. You are the only one who can save us."

"I'll do whatever I can." Sonic nodded seriously.

"That's great and all, but we're forgetting one important thing." Silver said. The others stared at him, not having a clue what he was getting at. Silver sighed and answered. "Mephiles."

"Crikey! I forgot about him!" Marine exclaimed, turning to the princesses. "Where is he, mate?

"Gone." Keira answered.

"Gone?!" Sonic shouted. "Where'd he go?"

"We don't know." Katara replied. "When the darkness began to pour out, it swallowed him whole. He just disappeared."

"But that didn't stop the darkness from escaping." Zelda continued. "In fact, the darkness seems to be spread more because of it. You should have seen him when the darkness ate him." She shuddered in fear. "He was laughing."

"It's never a good thing when the villain laughs." Storm stated.

"Don't worry, we'll seal the keyhole and stop Mephiles." Sonic stated.

"Thank you and good luck." Rui smiled.

After saying a few quick goodbyes, the heroes exited through the side corridor towards the Final Keyhole. Naruto was awake by now and just in time, too. Out of nowhere, a swarm of Neo Shadows leapt from the ceiling to block our hero's path. Sonic summoned his Oathkeeper and proceeded to slice his way through the swarm. Strom rampaged his way through with Angel providing support on his back with her antenna. Silver formed a protective barrier while Marine took shots at the heartless behind it. Naruto went all out and created over twenty shadow clones to level the playing field. While the clones handled their business with the Heartless, the real Naruto wandered on ahead with the Sonic Team. The chamber was just as they left it with the exclusion of the missing princesses. They all stopped in front of the Keyhole, feeling the cold darkness seeping from it crevices. Sonic shivered terribly; the side effects of having Dark Sonic inside him.

"M-man, I've n-n-never felt this t-terrible in my l-l-life." Sonic stammered.

"You're not getting cold feet, are ya?" Naruto joked.

"My feet aren't the only thing getting cold." Sonic said, slightly maintaining his nerve.

"This will be one of the most important battles ever." Silver stated. "For this world and all worlds."

"Great, no pressure." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Aw, don't worry, mate." Marine said cheerfully. "We'll help you out."

He looked at his friends confident faces, knowing Marine was right from the beginning. He searched his mind and even found that he had Dark Sonic's support. With his friends at his side, the six of the dove into the darkness. Inside, they were in a vast multicolored chambered that looked nothing like where the Heartless would reside. But that thought was changed very quickly when they found the symbol of the Heartless floating across from them. At the bottom, a small keyhole was formed.

"There's the Keyhole!" Angel shouted.

"All right." Sonic said, drawing the Oathkeeper. "Let's end this."

Sonic held out the Oathkeeper, waiting for it to lock the keyhole, until a sudden bolt of lightning erupted from nowhere. Sonic fell back in surprise, but Naruto caught him and lifted him back to his feet.

"What was that?" Naruto asked.

Quite suddenly, a humongous Heartless faded in. It was a four-legged, purple behemoth with a horn at its top and two curved horns emerging from its mouth. The Heartless emblem was tattooed to its chest.

"We were so close." Silver growled.

"Look's like we'll just have to fight our way through." Sonic smirked. "No problem, right?"

"Now you're speaking my language." Storm said, mashing his fists together.

The Behemoth began the battle with a sudden high leap jump. The heroes rolled away as the Behemoths feet crashed onto the ground, but were blown away by the shockwaves it created. Storm and Angel, being a close-range duo, pulled themselves up and charged at the Behemoth. While the Behemoth tried to stomp them with its foot, Storm quickly grabbed Angel and tossed her overhead. Angel grasped her hands around its main horn, but Storm was unfortunate to be crushed under the monsters foot.

"Storm!" Angel cried.

"Don't worry about me." Storm moaned. "Just take care of this creep."

Angel nodded with a firm attitude. Though she was uncertain how to take on a beats twenty times her size, she would at least have to try something. While Angel was busy, Marine and Naruto were dealing with another situation at hand. The Behemoth's main horn flared a string of unusual black energy balls at followed you everywhere. Marine was blast as many as she could with her energy orbs and Naruto were using his clones as sacrifices. But they were quickly running out of energy and growing tired. After firing another energy orb, Marine was unaware of an energy ball until it struck her in the back of the leg. Marine collapsed and was helpless as another energy dove at her. Luckily, Sonic jumped in and blocked the attack with the Oathkeeper.

"You ok?" Sonic asked in concern.

"I'm fine, mate." Marine groaned.

"Silver, we're getting killed here!" Sonic shouted, pulling Marine away from another attack.

"You think I don't know that?!" Silver exclaimed. "I'm trying everything I've got!"

It was true. Silver tried every spell in his arsenal against the massive Heartless, but all ended up with the same result. His fire was extinguished, earth was crumbled, wind was rendered useless, water was evaporated, lightning barely singed it, light had no power in the chamber, and darkness was only absorbed. The Behemoth roared in annoyance and tried trample the grey hedgehog beneath its feet. Silver rolled away just in time to avoid being crushed. Naruto decided it was his time to shine. As the beast came close to mowing him down, Naruto gathered the energy need to form the attack similar to the Sonic Wind.

"Rasengan!" Naruto yelled.

Naruto attack collided with the Behemoth's face, releasing a torrent of energy. But the end result was not to be expected. Naruto's attack only left and large burn mark on its forehead, leaving the Behemoth with a very nasty attitude. The massive Heartless swung its head, smacking Naruto with its curved horn. Naruto flipped back in midair and landed with his friend, which now included the recovered Strom.

Well, that didn't work." Naruto said.

"You think?!" Sonic yelled. "Now he's even more ticked than before!"

"Now what do we do?" Silver sneered.

While the Behemoth's back our heroes into a corner, Angel was still roaming around its back, looking for a weakness. After several minutes of searching, she still was unable to find anything. Frustrated, Angel kicked the Behemoth's main horn. That did it. The Behemoth roared in pain and swung its head in random directions. The sudden action sent Angel flying near the keyhole and attracted the Behemoth's wrath. But the main point is, she found what she was looking for.

"Guys, its horn!" Angel yelled. "Its horn is its weakness!"

"Angel, get out of there!" Storm cried.

But it was far too late for her to go anywhere. Before she had a chance to realize it, the Behemoth was already overhead with its foot hanging over her. In one swift movement, the Behemoth brought down its foot.

"We've got to save her!" Naruto yelled.

"Angel!" Sonic screamed.

All of a sudden, the Oathkeeper's keychain began to glow. Sonic knew this meant that he had unlocked the keychain's ability. But what was it? Suddenly, a thin white beam burst from the end of the Oathkeeper. The beam passed through the Behemoth's main horn and snapped it in half. The Behemoth's attack was halted. The massive Heartless gave one last pained roar before fading into the darkness.

"What was that?" Naruto questioned in awe.

"My keychain ability." Sonic muttered, examining the Oathkeeper. "I like it."

The others made their way across the room, but Storm was the first one to help Angel.

"You ok, little buddy?" Storm asked worried.

"I'm ok." Angel answered groggily. "I'm fluffy."

"At least no one was hurt, mate." Marine added.

"Speak for yourself." Silver interjected. He turned to his student. "Sonic, time to take back what's rightfully yours."

Sonic nodded and stepped forward. He was prepared to seal the keyhole when he heard a familiar voice.

"Sonic, you did it." Metal called.

"Metal?" Sonic questioned in surprise.

Putting the Keyhole on hold, the six heroes exited from the Final Keyhole. Naruto decided to take his leave once outside and left to find Sakura. Sonic was marveled to find not only Metal, but also Cream, Tikal, and Amy. The blue hedgehog jumped down to join his friends, but the others stayed behind to watch the keyhole.

"Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Sonic asked.

"Omega brought us here in his old ship." Amy answered. "Metal said he had something important to check out."

"Like what?" Sonic questioned.

"This is only you and Amy's home." Tikal stated. "This is also the same place we used to reside before the Heartless took it."

"But it's in worse shape then we thought." Metal stated. "Look's like we have a lot to deal with before we can relax."

"Things will get easier once I seal the keyhole." Sonic grinned.

"That's true." Metal agreed. "Once the keyhole is sealed, the darkness will be weakened severally. But the threat will still exist as long as the master behind all this still lives."

"You mean Mephiles." Sonic said.

"Exactly." Tikal nodded. "Once Mephiles is defeated, all those who were taken by the darkness will be returned."

"Including my mother!" Cream shouted happily. "And that also means your island will be back, too."

"That's great and all, but I don't really feel like going back to the Islands." Sonic scratched his head. "After finding my home world, I don't want to leave just yet. There are so many things I want to know, like my parents."

"But what about Espio?" Amy asked sadly. "If we stay here, that means we won't see him again."

"That's not a problem." Sonic shrugged. "I could just use the Extreme Gear and..."

"That won't work." Metal interrupted.

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked confused.

"Once the worlds are restored, they'll become separate again." Tikal explained. Sonic looked confused, which she noticed. "Before all this, did you know about the other worlds?" Sonic shook his head. "That's because the world were never to be reunited. The High Powers built walls between them so that none of the worlds could interfere with each other. The walls were destroyed because the Heartless broke them."

"When the worlds are restored, the walls will come back." Cream continued. "There will be no way to pass them."

This was possibly feeling Sonic had ever had. Even if he defeated the Heartless, he would be left with an impossible choice. If he stayed in Hollow Bastion, he could continue his life in search for his parent's memories, but then he would never see Espio, his best friend, again. If he went back to the islands, his only chance to find his past would be lost forever and he would never be able to see Metal or the others. Sonic wanted so very much to cry, but suppressed himself. He then felt a cold, steel hand land on his shoulder.

"Don't beat yourself up." Metal said. "No matter what happens, our hearts will remain connected and bring us together again."

"Besides, I could forget you, even if I wanted to." Cream grinned.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sonic chuckled. "I have to admit, I am going to miss the adventures and my friends. Especially Marine. She may be annoying, but she's like a little sister to me."

"It's like Metal said." Amy spoke. "Our hearts are connected. Wherever you go, Marine will always be with you."

"Before that fateful moment comes, I have something to share with you." Metal said. "Sonic, I told you about Amy's past, now it's time a reveal a piece about yours."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked eagerly. "Do you know something about my parents?"

"I do, in fact." Metal replied. "I knew both your parents quite well. Your mother, Aleena, participated in the Keyblade War."

"My mother was a Keyblade Master?" Sonic gasped.

"A marvelous one, too." Metal complimented. "She was very gifted in magic, which I think you inherited from her. But I would have to say you are more like your father, Zoan."

"Zoan's my father?!" Sonic exclaimed.

Sonic was starting to feel faint. He had heard of so many wondrous tales about the fabled Keyblade Master. But he would never have suspected that the great master was his father. Maybe that's why the Keyblade chose him after Espio gave into the darkness.

"Hard to believe, isn't it?" Cream giggled.

"I knew you were Zoan's son the moment I laid eyes on you." Metal continued. "You looked so much like your father, even had his personality. But your eyes, they are the same as your mothers. That's what scared me."

"What do you mean?" Amy asked.

"It's hard to forget those eyes when you see them closed for the last time." Metal said sorrowfully.

The air suddenly felt cold in the room. Those words stung deep into Sonic's heart. He didn't know which hurt the most: the fact knowing that his mother was dead, or knowing that he would never have a chance to feel her warmth one last time.

"I found her in the battle grounds during the Keyblade War." Metal continued. "She fought bravely, but it was no match for the darkness. I was the one who brought her back. With her last breath, she requested me to bury her in the valley where she first met your father. I checked and her grave still remains apart of this world."

"And...My dad?" Sonic asked hesitantly.

"We don't know." Tikal spoke. "No one ever found him. All that was left was the armor he wore during the Keyblade War. It was shattered and blood was splattered all over the inside. It very quite possible that he died during the war as well."

If this was the truth, then Sonic didn't want to hear it. After fifteen years of waiting, watching the shores for his parent's arrival, he was no told that it was all wasted. All of a sudden, he could feel sudden warmth added. He soon realized that Amy was comforting him. He blushed momentarily before retuning the feeling. He realized now that Amy understood his pain and would not think of him otherwise if he killed her father. He was ready to fight Mephiles.

"Sonic, move you butt!" Angel screamed.

"Yeah, we need to close the Keyhole, mate!"

Sonic pulled away quickly, realizing the situation at hand. He gave Amy one last smile before turning back to the Final Keyhole.

"Sonic, good luck." Metal said.

Sonic nodded and dove back into the darkness. He approached the keyhole with his four friends behind him. He tried to focus, but it was really hard with Metal's words ringing through his head. He sighed loudly and held up the Oathkeeper towards the Keyhole. A bright beam erupted from the end of the key and connected to the keyhole. A small click was heard and the Heartless symbol shattered, sealing the keyhole forever. They started to celebrate when something fell at Sonic's feet. It looked like a keychain in the shape of a black crown.

"Where'd the come from?" Storm asked.

"Don't know." Silver replied.

Sonic kneeled down and grasped the keychain. The moment his hand came in contact, a wave of memories flooded his mind. As each one of them passed by, Sonic noticed that only two people were in every one of them.

"Espio..." Sonic muttered.

"What was that?" Angel asked.

"It was Espio." Sonic replied, standing up. "He somehow sent this keychain to me so that I could use it. He wants me to find him."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Silver said. "Let's get out of here."

They left the Final Keyhole and re-emerged back at the Grand Hall. Metal, Amy and the others were still there, but now they were joined by the other princesses.

"Not bad, kid." Keira complimented. "The darkness is starting to leave. I don't think even Jak could have done that."

"All in a days work." Sonic smirked.

"But I'm afraid it doesn't end there." Zelda said seriously. "The darkness has left this world, but it's starting to gather in a place not far away from here."

"She's right." Rui nodded. "I think that's the place where Mephiles is gathering the world hearts."

"Then all we need to do is get on the Extreme Gear and end this." Angel said.

"It won't be that easy." Katara said. "Mephiles has grown twice as strong as last time. I don't think your current power will be enough."

"Then what do we do?" Sonic asked.

"We need to find a way to increase your power in a short amount of time." Metal stated. "But such a thing seems impossible. You would have to fight incredibly powerful opponent and push yourself past your limits."

Metal had a point. Such a grueling task would be impossible to pull off. Marine suggested going to find more Heartless, but Tikal flattened that idea when she reminded everyone that the keyholes were locked. Without the keyholes, the Heartless would have no reason to invade. It all seemed hopeless until Silver suddenly realized something.

"I got it!" Silver yelled.

"What is it?" Cream asked curiously.

"It's so obvious." Silver chuckled. "Where's the one place where the strongest fighters in the universe gather? The answer is obviously Budokai, but their regular tournaments aren't enough. But then we forgot the single most important tournament of all."

"What is it?!" Everyone exclaimed, killed by the suspense.

"The greatest and most deadly tournament ever devised." Silver grinned. "The Dragon Cup."

* * *

**As the final battle closes in, the heroes must face their ultimate challenge. Will Sonic and his friends survive the peril of the Dragon Cup? Or will Broly return as the victor. Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	37. Let the Games Begin, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Six: Let the Games Begin, Part 1

Two weeks have passed since Sonic sealed the final keyhole to Hollow Bastion. With the Heartless no longer a threat to the worlds, the heroes have been preparing their upcoming battle against Mephiles. But despite being the Keyblade Master, Sonic still wasn't strong enough to face him. There was only one option left: The Dragon Cup. Silver had been pushing Sonic past his limits and taught him spells in every element. After two weeks of training, the day of the Dragon Cup had finally arrived. The Sonic Team, Amy, and the Traverse Town Gang were watching from the top level of the Entrance Hall as Silver and Sonic stood in the center.

"This is the last day of training." Silver stated. "You ready for this?"

"Bring it on!" Sonic said confidently.

"Prepare yourself, and..." Silver said, raising his arm. "Begin!"

Sonic started out by spinning around and forming a large sphere of wind. He tossed it in the center of the room. He slapped his hands together and breathed a heavy stream of fire, forcing it to cover the wind. Sonic slammed his foot to the floor and raised his fist up. A column of rocks formed in the center of the room, keeping the ball of fire in place. He held his open palms to the waterfall and brought the water to life. He circled the water around the column before freezing it in place. Sonic jutted out two fingers and released a surge of lightning, forming it around the column. Sonic raised his arms and called six thin shadows to surround the fireball. Sonic managed to form a chaos spear for three seconds before it faded away.

"Awesome, mate!" Marine cheered.

"You were great, Sonic!" Amy added.

"He has certainly obtained his mother's aptitude for magic." Metal commented.

"You're a quick learner, Sonic." Silver said proudly. He waved his hand, sending away all of Sonic's magical accomplishments. "You seem to grasp wind and darkness magic easier than any of the others."

"_No surprise there._" Dark Sonic commented in Sonic's mind.

"_I was wondering why it was so easy._" Sonic mentally grinned

"But you seem to be extremely lacking in light magic." Silver frowned. "I don't know why. But my guess is that you are so tuned into the darkness that your light is out of balance."

"I'm not going to turn into a Heartless again, am I?" Sonic shivered.

"I wouldn't worry too much about it." Silver said. "The darkness isn't evil, only those who choose it to be. I don't think we have to worry about another Mephiles in the universe."

"That good." Sonic sighed in relief.

"Attention!" Everyone turned to the doors, where Omega was entering. "I have just received word that the Dragon Ball will begin within three hours. We must depart if we are to make it on time."

"Then what are we standing around for!" Storm screamed, pounding Angel's eardrums. "Let's get moving."

"I really need to do something about that guy." Angel growled.

With the tournament only three hours away, the gang scattered aimlessly throughout the castle. Metal, Amy, and the gang from Traverse Town decided to go with the heroes to show there support. Everyone was waiting near Omega's ship, patiently waiting for Sonic to show up. Normally, Angel would have a fit about waiting, but she knew this was important to Sonic. Out beyond a wide valley far from the castle was a high cliff that watched over the world. It was called the Dark Depths. It is here where Sonic walked to the edge and kneeled before a pile of stones. The stones were neatly stacked up together like a monument with the remains of a broken helmet placed at the top.

"Hey, mom." Sonic said softly to the monument. "I'm about to head out and fight in the Dragon Cup. I promise I'll win and make you and dad proud of me." A tear slowly treaded down Sonic's face. "I really wish I had gotten a chance to at least see you and dad. I'll beat Mephiles and prove my worth as the Keyblade Master. I promise."

With one last look at the monument, Sonic treaded back to his team and the Extreme Gears.

* * *

After one trip with the Warp Gear, Sonic and the gang arrived at the legendary stadium of Budokai. If the world was packed during the Saiyan Cup, then it was stretched to its limits now. There were so many unknown species coming from hundred of worlds, that you couldn't walk without bumping into someone. Luckily, the heroes had Omega and his gatling gun to clear a path.

"Wow, I haven't been here for a while." Metal said pleasingly. "It's a lot more crowded than the Namek Cup."

"The Namek Cup?" Marine questioned.

"It's the tournament Metal and I entered." Cream informed. "We could have won if it wasn't for Silver and Storm."

"Don't hate the players, hate the game." Storm smirked.

"This place is big." Amy said in awe. "I wonder if we'll be able to see all the shops."

"You haven't seen anything yet." Sonic grinned. "Just what till you seem me in the ring. You are looking at the next World Martial Arts Champion!"

"Someone's ego is inflated." Angel said.

"What did you say?!" Sonic growled, bearing his fist to the pink experiment.

"Hey, hey, save the fighting for the ring!" Cream shouted.

"She's right." Tikal giggled. "We don't want you to get knocked out before your match."

Sonic frowned, but grudgedly listened. They walked five miles past the expanding crowd before they finally found their way to the entrance of the arena. It was at the steps of the doors where they found two familiar characters talking.

"Goku, Chaos!" Sonic called.

"Hey, Sonic." Goku welcomed, giving the hedgehog a high-five. "Great to see you guys again." He noticed the other members of the group present. "Silver, Storm, Angel, Marine, welcome back. Who are your friends."

"These are our mates from Traverse Town." Marine introduced. "This is Metal, Tikal, Cream, Omega, and Sonic's girlfriend, Amy."

"She's not my girlfriend!" Sonic shouted; his face was beat red.

"It's pleasant to see you again, Sonic." Chaos said.

Before Sonic even had a chance to respond, Tikal jumped out of nowhere and embraced Chaos in a warming hug. Sonic, Amy, and the Team blinked after several minutes; they were clueless. Metal, Cream, and Omega remained silent out of respect. Chaos was hesitant, but slowly returned his embrace around the echidna girl, who was sobbing.

"What's up with that, mate?" Marine asked.

"Tikal and Chaos were always close to each other." Metal explained. "When our world was taken over, Tikal had been hoping every day for Chaos to return." He looked back to the couple. "Look's like her wish came true

"I can't believe you're here." Tikal cried in Chaos' arms. "I've been waiting for you."

"I'm sorry, Tikal." Chaos said sadly. "I've been busy."

"Searching for Violet?" Tikal asked.

"Yeah." Chaos nodded, separating from Tikal. "But I can feel it; she's here somewhere. Once I find here, I'll defeat her and the darkness will leave me forever." His emerald green eyes shined brilliantly in Tikal's shimmering blue ones. "And once she gone, I'll stay with you and we will be together forever."

"I hope for that day soon." Tikal smiled.

"So beautiful." Storm sniffed, damping his eyes with a cloth.

"I'm glad we're all together again." Omega interrupted. "But The Dragon Cup starts in less than ten minutes and you still need to register your positions."

"We'll just go find our seats for we have to sit in the aisle." Cream said.

"I'll be cheering for you, Sonic." Amy smiled.

Metal and the gang left for the stands, taking Marine and Angel with them. After waving good bye, Sonic, Silver, Storm, and Chaos followed Goku through the doors. They arrived at the lobby, where they found Master Roshi talking with three newcomers.

The first was a tall, green humanoid alien with pointed ears. He wore a purple chinese gi with a blue sash around his waist and brown pointed shoes. His outfit was also completed by a flowing white cape and white turban on his head.

Then next was a man with dark skin and black rugged hair down across his head. He wore standard black boots, black wristbands, white silk pants and a black armored vest.

The last was a teenage girl with black hair covered by an orange bandanna. She wore simple blue jeans with a chain attached, a plain red shirt, and orange boots complete with orange gloves. Chaos glared at Violet, who was sitting in the corner; a confident look on her expressionless face. It was Roshi who pointed out Goku and his party.

"Ah, Goku, you found them!" Roshi shouted; the three contestants covered their ears. "I was starting to worry they would make it."

"They just showed up." Goku informed.

"So who are they?" The green fighter asked.

"Sorry, I forgot to introduce everyone." Goku said sheepishly. "This is Sonic, Silver, and Storm."

"Welcome." The green fighter nodded. "I am Piccolo."

"The name's Uub!" The darker fighter stated. "You may have defeated my mentor, but you won't beat me!"

"And I'm Pan." The girl introduced. "You must be really strong to beat my grandpa."

"Grandpa?" Storm repeated, looking at Goku. "You don't look that old to me."

"I guess I'm just lucky." Goku chuckled.

"Look's like the Babylonian's aren't the only one with secrets." Silver shrugged.

"My, my, look what we have here." A familiar voice said. "A pair of rats and a fat pigeon."

Sonic and Silver were insulted and Storm was ready to blow. But they stopped themselves from assaulting the speaker when they realized who it was. Broly and Janemba had just walked in with five newcomers that the Sonic Team had never seen before. Judging by the expressions on the fighters faces, they weren't heroes.

The first was a rugged man with white hair, giving him a red-neck look. He wore yellow boots, blue suspenders, a yellow vest with a red ribbion on the left flap, and a yellow cap that said Red Ribbion Army. He was Android 13.

The second was the shortest of the group. It was a pink child creature with demonic red eyes, several holes on his head and arms, and a small antenna on its head. The curiosu creature wore simple black boots, white silk pants, and a belt with the letter 'M'. He was Majin Buu.

The third was a large white creature that resembled something of a dragon. Besides the number of black lethal spikes on his back, the only real interesting feature about his was the seven small blue balls in his chest. He was Omega Shenron.

The fourth looked eerily similar to Frieza, but his skin was purple and looked far more vicious. He wore white battle armor around his chest along with white wrist and ankle bands. He also wore a white helmet with a blue center that looked like it was attached to his head. He was Cooler.

The last was the tallest of the group. He was man with shoulder-length black hair and a cool guy expression on his face. He wore a black sleeveless shirt, Blue arm-length gloves with gold wrist bands, blue boots, a pair of torn jeans, and an orange bandanna around his neck. He was Super 17.

"It's been a while, hasn't it." Broly said coolly.

"You think you're smug, tricking us into entering that first tournament." Silver growled.

"I certainly thought it was brilliant." Broly said calmly.

"I was wondering how you brought these lunatics back." Piccolo commented, motioning to the other villains. "But once I saw that interdimensional monster, Janemba, it all became clear to me."

"We're just here to wipe the floor with you." The dark-haired man said confidently.

"You want to go now?!" Uub growled.

"We were wondering what took you so long to ask." The white-haired man said.

"Hold it!" Roshi said before a fight broke out. "Save the fighting for the ring, which should be starting any moment now." Roshi scanned around the room at the fifteen contestants. "Wait, there's only fifteen. We're missing one!"

"Sorry I'm late."

Everyone present in the lobby turned their attention to the doors, where that last fighter was entering. It was small yellow robot around Sonic's size. He had an orange crest erect from the center of his head, broad-chested body with three beige caps in the shape of a triangle on his chest, large blue eyes, and olive-brownish hands.

"Ah, Emerl, just in time." Roshi praised. "We're just about to begin." Goku left for a few minutes and came back with a small box with a hole at the top. "Since this is a big tournament, we're going to have to do this by the book. When I call your name, you'll come up and take a number out of this box. Whatever number you get will decide where you are in the Cup."

And one by one, Roshi called the names until everyone had their number. Now the games can begin.

* * *

**--Sonic vs. Piccolo--**

The stands roared in a round of cheers as both contestants made their way to the arena. Piccolo was already a famous hero, and Sonic was a great addition to the line-up. As Sonic looked up to the stands, he could see Metal, Omega, Tikal, and Amy cheering in the front row. Cream, Angel, and Marine were jumping on the stone wall in cheerleading outfits; complete with pom-poms. Sonic has grateful for his friends support.

"You have colorful friends." Piccolo commented.

"Yeah." Sonic agreed. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Seeing as how you were strong enough to beat Goku," Piccolo said, reaching for his cape. "I guess I won't be holding back."

"You better not." Sonic grinned.

Piccolo tore off his cape and threw it outside the ring; it created a loud thud on contact with the ground. Sonic and the crowd looked stupefied at hw a soft cloth could be so heavy. Piccolo took off his turban and also tossed it out of the ring. The seemingly light fabric created a small hole in the ground.

"What did I get myself into." Sonic whimpered

"Let the first round of the Dragon Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

Here I come!" Piccolo yelled.

Piccolo jumped forward at incredible speeds and swung his arm down. Sonic was quick on the reaction and summoned the Oathkeeper into his hands. Sonic raised his weapon and used it to block Piccolo's hand, halting the attack. Sonic pushed the green warrior away and spun around to swing at him. But Piccolo was also had quick reflexes. He bent his back backwards to avoid the initial attack. He planted his hands on the ground before kicking Sonic into the air. He flipped around and jumped up towards Sonic. Piccolo created two purple energy balls in his hand and shot them towards the hedgehog. Sonic clapped his hands together and breathed out a jet of flames from his mouth. The energy balls were incinerated and the flames attack around Piccolo.

"Don't mess with the Keyblade Master!" Sonic grinned.

"Go, Sonic, Go!" Marine, Angel, and Cream cheered.

"Don't get cocky, kid!" Piccolo roared.

In an unexpected result, Piccolo's arm flew out of the fireball, ten times longer than normal.

"You're kidding me." Sonic moaned.

The enlarged hand grasped Sonic by his ankle and flung him to the ground. As Sonic's body smacked against the ground, Piccolo's arm returned to the main body within the fireball. While Sonic weakly tried to stand up, Piccolo erupted from the fireball and stamped his feet into Sonic's back, slamming him into the floor. The crowd winced at the sight.

"Yep, that's my spine." Sonic gasped.

"I don't wish to take this any father than it has to." Piccolo said. "There's no shame in losing."

Piccolo held his hand out to the hedgehog, but Sonic spun around with the Oath keeper out. Piccolo jumped backwards to avoid the attack and marveled as Sonic slowly pushed himself to his feet.

"Don't count me out of this yet." Sonic stated.

"Very well then." Piccolo said. "You've left me no choice."

Piccolo moves into a stance and taps two fingers to his forehead. Suddenly, sparks began to burst raggedly from the points of his fingers. The more times spent with the charge, the more wild the sparks became. Marine, Angel, and Cream had to jump into the stands to avoid getting zapped. Piccolo grinned deviously; his attack was ready. He stretched out his charged fingers and called out.

"SPECIAL BEAM CANNON!"

A thin yellow beam shot from Piccolo's fingers, charging a direct assault at the blue hedgehog. The attack caught Sonic by surprise, but he needed to move fast. Sonic vanished his Oathkeeper, stamped his feet, and raised his fists to the sky. The resulting form created a wall of stone from the ring. Many would believe this would a great defense, but not Piccolo. Piccolo's attack cut through the wall with ease; a sound came on contact from the object on the other side. As Piccolo's attack faded from existence, he and crowd were hushed with silence.

"_I hope I didn't kill him._" Piccolo thought.

Suddenly, the rock wall crumbed and the crowd gasped in shock. Sonic was nowhere to be seen, but the Oathkeeper was left impaled into the ground.

"What?!" Piccolo exclaimed. "Where did he go?"

"Looking for someone!" Piccolo skidded around, where he came face-to-face with Sonic, his signature attack in hand. "Hope you enjoy your flight. SONIC WIND!"

Sonic thrusted his attack into Piccolo's chest, leaving the green warrior without a single defense. The force of the compressed winds sent Piccolo flying out of the ring and into the stone wall of the stands. The moment Piccolo's body made contact with the ground, the crowd erupted into a burst of jubilant screams.

"And the winner is Sonic the Hedgehog!" Roshi announced.

"Let's go, Sonic, that's our hog!" Marine, Angel, and Cream cheered.

"I find that insulting." Amy commented.

Piccolo struggled to get back to his feet. Just then, Sonic came up and offered his hand to him. The green warrior smirked and gratefully took it, lifting himself back to his feet.

"You were great." Sonic stated.

"But the best man won." Piccolo returned. "Just be careful for the rest of the tournament. They won't let you off like I did."

"I'll keep that in mind." Sonic said humorously.

* * *

--**Janemba vs. Android 13--**

There were no praises or cheers for the two demons that stepped out into the ring. Nearly everyone in the audience remembered Janemba from his attack on the worlds years ago. Android 13 wasn't exactly a popular looking figure either. Android 13 looked ready for a fight, but Janemba, on the other hand, look irritated.

"Come on ya, little bugger!" 13 tempted; Janemba looked even more annoyed with him. "Aw, is the big bad monster scared? Don't worry you'll ugly little head. I promise I'll make it quick and painless."

"Let the second match begin!" Roshi announced.

Android 13 jumped ahead at lightning speed and pounded his fist into Janemba's face. Just as Android 13 though he had the upper had, he realized Janemba didn't even flinch from his first attack. Android 13 jumped back momentarily before blowing into an all-out assault. Android 13 punched and kicked at every part of Janemba's body, but not a single blow seemed to affect the interdimensional creature. With one last kick to the face, Android 13 back flipped to the other side of the ring. The entire fight, Janemba had not move a single muscle.

"So that's the way you want to play it, eh?" 13 growled. "Looks like I'm gonna have to squash this bug hard."

Android 13 stretch out his arms and held his hands opposite of each other. Red sparks began to form from Android 13's finger, quickly taking the form of a giant spiraling red energy ball with a red sphere in the middle. Many of the audience ducked down their seats, but Janemba remained as motionless as ever. Just then, a mental connection was made between him and an outside source.

"_Janemba, stop fooling around._" Broly mentally said. "_We don't have anymore use for this hick._"

"Say hello to my friend in hell!" 13 yelled. "S.S. DEADLY BOMBER!"

Android 13 planted his hands firmly on the side of the attack and launched it at Janemba. The interdimensional beast finally moved and planted himself firmly in the energy sphere's path. Android 13's bomber attack collided with Janemba's body, exploding in an array of red lights. Silence fell over the stadium, even as the audience started to come up. The only thing left in the ring was Android 13 and a smoke cloud left from where Janemba once stood.

"Hey, old man." 13 pointed to Roshi. "Call it out."

"Uh...ok." Roshi whimpered. "It looks like, by death, the winner is..."

But before Roshi could finish his sentence, a red blast appeared at his feet, knocking the old man back. Android 13 and the crowd returned their attention to the fading smoke cloud. Janemba was found, with his hand held out, not a single scratch on him.

"N-no way!" 13 stammered in fear.

What happened was so fast that not even Metal could follow. Janemba formed a red crystal blade into his hand and ran past Android 13, taking only one swing. Janemba landed on the other side of Android 13, evaporating the crystal blade into nothingness. The audience blinked only once before Android 13's body split in half. Both halves of the android's body exploded, sending machine parts scattered around the ring.

"A-and the winner..." Roshi stammered. "By a death, is Janemba."

There were no claps or cheers; Janemba left to the lobby in empty silence.

**

* * *

**

--Uub vs. Buu--

The crowd returned to it normal volume as the next fighters moved into the ring. The crowd recognized Uub as Goku's student, but where frightened by the sight of pink beast below. Uub seemed very serious in fighting the pink monster known as Majin Buu. Though Buu was the size of a child, this creature was not to be taken lightly.

"So you're Majin Buu, huh?" Uub asked; Buu could not speak normally and spouted gibberish. "I never thought I would have a chance to fight my past self. My teacher told me many things about you, that you were a monster." Bu spoke more gibberish words. "But if I am to win, I must face my past."

"Let the third round begin!" Roshi announced.

Majin Buu and Uub both charged simultaneously and thrust their fists at the same time. Both attacks nailed each other in the face, both putting out equal strength to each other. Uub back flipped and began firing an endless amount of energy blast from his hands. Buu's body, to the heroes' surprise, stretched itself away from Uub's attacks, taunting the man with comical faces. Buu pulled himself together and thrust his foot forward, sending it flying across the arena. Uub caught him by his ankle, but Buu retracted himself back and kicked Uub in the face with his other foot.

"I have to admit," Uub said. "He's good."

"Come on, Uub!" Pan yelled from the sideline. "Don't let this taffy monster beat you." Buu fired a pink beam from his antenna and aimed it at Pan's feet, attempting to scare her. "Heh, sorry about the taffy joke."

"No one attacks my friends!" Uub growled.

Uub kicked himself up off the ground and speed glided at his monster counterpart. Uub nailed a direct blow at Buu's face, sending his head flying at the stands. Buu's head made a comical face at the audience before retracting itself towards his body. The moment Buu's head returned, he headbutted Uub square in the face. Uub grasped his face in pain, not realizing that Buu's arms were wrapping themselves around his body. Buu constricted his counterpart and slammed his face into the floor. Buu's antenna came to life and shot a pink beam at the man below him. Luckily, Uub freed himself from Buu's grip just before the beam hit.

"Take this!" Uub roared. "KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!"

Uub thrust his palm directly at Buu's face, ejecting a tremendous blue blast from them. When the blast disappeared, Buu's body was left without a head. Now for a normal person, that would be an instant death. But Majin Buu was beyond normal. Buu's wild body started jumping crazily around in the air before Buu's head popped from his shoulder; the creature laughing crazily.

"You can't die, can you?" Uub asked. "But you can't beat me either." Majin Buu's made a confused look, scratching his pink head. "Face it, you can't beat yourself. I was reincarnated from you, so I have all your powers. No matter how many times you try and attack me, you can't beat someone who is a part of you."

Jet of steam erupted from the holes on Buu's head and arms, signifying that Uub made him angry. The steam continued to fly until Buu's expression changed. He started chuckling like he had already won the match. Uub began pondering what he was thinking before Buu made it clear to the world. Majin Buu reverted to a giant pink blob and covered itself around Uub's body. The man inside struggled for a moment before he completely stopped. Uub's body disappeared and Majin Buu appeared in his place.

"Oh no, what happened?" Pan said worried.

"It look's like Majin Buu absorbed him." Piccolo said seriously.

"I wouldn't count on it." Goku said cheerfully.

"Huh?" The others questioned.

Buu was dancing victoriously in the air just as Roshi was about to announce the winner. Suddenly, Buu stopped. He looked like he was in pain and clutched his head. The pink monster started screaming in a high-pitched voice, breaking every glass item in the world. Suddenly, Majin Buu's skin started to turn dark and more human. After a couple moments of confusion, Majin Buu's body had been replaced by his good counterpart, Uub.

"Hey, everyone." Uub said nonchalantly.

"And the winner is Uub!" Roshi announced.

The crowd roared for Uub's confusing victory. Pan flew out of nowhere and crushed the man into a great bear hug; Uub's face was bright red.

**

* * *

**

--Broly vs. Storm--

The crowd, especially Angel, cheered their lungs out as Storm walked out to the ring. Broly received only boos and hisses from everyone that knew him. Sonic glared at Broly as he walked past, feeling a bit concerned for Storm's wellbeing. The Babylonian Captain of the Guard and the Legendary Super Saiyan stood across from each other with confident looks. Marine, Angel, and Cream jumped back on the wall with their cheerleader outfits again.

"Storm, Storm, he's our bird!" Marine, Angel, and Cream chanted. "If he can't do it, no one can!"

"That doesn't rhyme." Omega stated.

"Shut it!" Marine, Angel, and Cream yelled.

"Hope your ready for this." Storm grinned.

"Hope you're ready to die." Broly returned evilly.

"Let the fourth match begin!"

Storm jumped forward and sent a right hook for Broly's head. But the evil saiyan easily caught the albatross's fist and held him out in the air. Storm tried to punch and kick to break free, but Broly was out of his reach. Broly held out his free hand to the side and formed a green energy ball in his palm. And in one swift strike, Broly mercilessly thrust it through Storm's chest, ejecting a stream of energy through the Albatross's back. Storm stopped kicked and his body went limp. The crowd was horrified, but none more than Angel and the heroes.

"I give you your hero." Broly said snidely, tossing Storm's body aside.

"Storm!" Angel screamed; Storm's body slammed outside the ring.

"And the winner," Roshi said solemnly. "By a death, is...Broly."

"That's not right!" Angel screamed, tears brimming from her eyes. "He should be disqualified for that!"

"There are no rules that say I can't." Broly stated.

"But..."

"Yelling won't bring him back, Angel." Metal said, placing a claw on her shoulder. "He's gone and there's nothing we can do about it."

The arena and stands were silent with the exception of Angel's sobs. Broly chuckled evilly and carelessly walked away. Broly smirked with satisfaction at hedgehog's expressions as he passed by. Silver leaned against the wall with his head down, bowing in respect. Sonic was frozen in place, not believing what he just saw. No matter how many times he relayed the memory over in his mind, the result was always the same.

Storm the Albatross is dead.

* * *

**The Dragon Cup begins with a bang! Will Sonic and Silver take revenge for their fallen friend? Will Broly succeed in killing the Keyblade Master? What battles await the remaining rounds? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	38. Let the Games Begin, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Seven: Let the Games Begin, Part 2

It was a nightmare. Sonic and his friends wanted nothing more than to wake up and find out that this was all just a dream; but it wasn't. The fourth match of the Dragon Cup had ended in a swift blow with Broly delivering a decisive death to Storm the Albatross. Master Roshi paused the rest of the matches so they could remove Storm's body from the arena. Sonic and Silver gazed sadly to the floor as Marine, Amy, and the Traverse Town gang entered the lobby.

"What's going on?" Amy asked softly.

"The medical aids are currently taking Storm's body in hold." Silver explained coldly.

""Hey, where's Angel?" Sonic asked, noticing the missing pink experiment.

"She's sitting outside on the steps." Tikal stated. "She said she couldn't bare to watch anymore."

"I hope she's ok." Cream said concerned. "She looked like she was ready to die when Storm was killed."

"It would surprise me." Silver said. "Angel and Storm were very close to each other; like they were best friends."

"I think someone should go out there and talk to her." Metal said "And I think the one that should do it is Sonic."

"Why me?" Sonic questioned.

"If anyone understands how to deal with a loss, it's you." Metal reminded.

Sonic sighed heavily, knowing Metal was right as usual. Goku, Pan, and Piccolo remained silent in respect as the blue hedgehog trudged past them. Then came the villain's, which was the last group of people that Sonic wanted to see at the moment. With the death of 13 and Buu, the villains were down to five, but still not to be taken lightly; Violet and Chaos remained detached from the crowd. Sonic paced through the entrance doors, where he found Angel sobbing on the stone steps.

"Hey, you ok?" Sonic asked kindly, taking a seat next to her.

"I-I just can't believe he's...he's..." Angel sobbed.

"I know." Sonic said sadly.

The situation seemed to be under control until the unlikely timing of the medical aids. Six men in uniforms were carrying a stretcher; a body hidden underneath a tarp. It was obvious who it was and Angel started crying again.

"I just can't believe he's gone!" Angel cried. "He and I always did everything together!"

"I know that." Sonic said softly. "But you'll get through this like the rest of us."

"What would you know?!" Angel snapped. "You couldn't possibly understand what I'm going through."

"You're right, I couldn't." Sonic glared sternly. "I wouldn't know because I don't remember my parents dying. I don't know where Espio is in the darkness. But what I do know is that I lost one of my friends today. You can cry all you want, but it won't bring him back. I'm not going to waste my time crying. I am going to live in Storm's memory."

The sound of Sonic's speech seemed to rouse something in Angel's heart. Instead of looming sadness, she felt a fire burning into soul and lighting her spirit. Sonic was right. Storm wouldn't just sit around and moan; he would fight.

"Thanks, Sonic." Angel smiled.

"Anytime." Sonic grinned. "And don't worry, we'll avenge Storm."

"I highly doubt that." Broly said menacingly, approaching the two from the side. "In case you haven't noticed, I am the strongest fighter in this tournament. You wouldn't last five minutes in the ring with me."

"I'm willing to take that bet." Sonic growled.

"Then you best hope you make it to the semifinals." Broly chuckled. "And once I'm done pummeling you, I'll have the Eternal Dragon grant me immortality. Not even Black Doom would dare to challenge me." He started walking away. "Good luck."

"Sonic, you better beat that monkey." Angel glared.

"Don't worry, I will." Sonic replied seriously.

"Attention." Omega said, walking up to the two from behind. "The next four matches will be beginning shortly. Metal wishes for you to watch for you competition."

"Ready to Go, Angel?" Sonic asked.

"I wouldn't miss this for the world." Angel smirked

With her confidence back, Angel walked with Omega back to the stands to await the upcoming matches. Sonic ramained rooted to the spot for a moment, before realizing that the next match was about to begin. Sonic raced his way back inside and found a good spot where he could see the next match next to Silver.

"So, who's up next?" Sonic asked.

"A real treat." Silver smirked.

* * *

--**Omega Shenron vs. Chaos--**

Despite witnessing the number of deaths in this single tournament, the crowd did not show any signs of disappointment. The audience went into a fit of cheers when the next fighters made their way into the ring. Omega Shenron took the applause with gratitude, but whom the audience was really anxious to see was Chaos. Angel had cheered up after he little talk with Sonic and once again donned her cheerleading outfit with Marine and Cream.

"Chaos, Chaos, bring the pain!" Marine, Angel, and Cream cheered. "Go along and beat this game!"

"Go, Chaos!" Tikal cheered loudly.

At Tikal's random outburst, Chaos' face turned slightly red and waved his claw to her direction.

"Waving to your little girlfriend." Omega Shenron sniggered. "You must feel pretty confident in your abilities."

"First off, she's not my girlfriend...yet." Chaos said sheepishly. "But I do know that there will be no chance of me losing to you."

"Then we'll just have to see about that." Omega Shenron grinned.

"Let the fifth match of the Dragon Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

AT once, Omega Shenron bounced off the tiled floor and thrust his clawed fist at Chaos' head. But the ancient guardian counteracted by dropping to the ground on his back and kicked his foot upwards, slamming it into the dragon's face. Omega Shenron felt a slight sting at first, but was not overall affected by the feeble attack. But the attack was far from feeble. Without him noticing, two of the blue balls in Omega Shenron's chest shattered. Omega Shenron grasped the guardian's leg away from his face and tossed him aside to the side of the arena. Chaos tumbled slightly, but managed to regain his poise.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Omega Shenron chuckled, rubbing the red spot where Chaos kicked him. "If that was really the best you've got, then you might as well surrender now."

"I have no intention of stopping now." Chaos stated. "_But I don't understand. That single attack would have killed any normal person in an instant._" His gazed dropped down the five blue balls in the dragon's chest. "_But when I attack, two of those things shattered. What does that mean?_"

"Chaos! Watch out!" Tikal shouted from the stands.

Chaos was quickly brought back to his senses just in time to avoid Omega Shenron's claws. The ancient guardian jumped on top of the dragon's fist and flipped over his horned head. But before landing, Chaos executed a perfect chop to the back of Omega Shenron's neck. Though he didn't realize it at the time, two more blue balls were shattered from Omega Shenron's chest. But Omega Shenron didn't even look down whilst his attention was directed at Chaos. All of a sudden, the black spikes on Omega Shenron's back extended and pinned the aquatic guardian to the ground; the spikes stabbing into his body.

"What is this?" Chaos grunted, struggling to break loose.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Omega Shenron grinned. "struggling will only make it worse. But don't worry; it will all be over in a moment. DRAGON THUNDER!"

Suddenly, a wave of electricity course through Omega Shenron's black spikes and extended to Chaos' body. Despite the crowds erupting cheers, nothing was louder than Chaos' piercing screams. Tikal was prepared to down to the arena to save him, But Omega restrained her. In a last ditch attempt, Chaos planted his claw into the floor and redirected the electricity. The arena exploded, sending a cloud of dust covering the view.

"What's happening, mate?" Marine asked.

"Is Chaos ok?" Amy asked worried.

"Thermal scanners show Chaos and Omega Shenron still fighting." Omega stated. "But something is different."

"Different?" Cream repeated. "What do you mean?"

After a long wait, the cloud of dust finally began to settle around the middle. Omega Shenron was seen standing in the center of the ring; several scratches and two more balls missing. But the biggest surprise came from Chaos. He was no longer a small, humanoid creature, but a gigantic, monster snake. It was made completely water similar to his human appearnace, but was now complete with demonic green eyes, a large dorsal fin on its head, and a pair of jagged teeth.

"What is that, mate?" Marine questioned. "And where can I get one?"

"That's the truest form of the Master Emerald Guardian." Metal stated. "This is Perfect Chaos."

"So can i keep him?" Marine asked innocently.

Angel, Amy, and the Traverse Town gang smacked themselves.

"What the hell are you?" Omega Shenron asked fearfully

"Omega Shenron!" Perfect Chaos roared. "For your acts of evil, the Higher Powers bring down their punishment upon you! The judgment has been made and you will be issued an immediate execution!"

"I will not go down that easily!" Omega Shenron yelled.

In a last desperate attempt, Omega Shenron launched a sphere of red energy. Perfect Chaos scoffed and opened his mouth to release a massive beam of white energy. Perfect Chaos' attack consumed Omega Shenron's and resumed its course for the evil dragon. Omega Shenron tried desperately to push back the attack, but all his power had left him when the balls were destroyed and the evil dragon was consumed in the light. With Omega Shenron no longer a threat, Perfect Chaos was no longer need. the massive water snake resumed its normal form and Chaos had returned to the world.

"The winner is Chaos!" Roshi announced.

"Way to go, Chaos!" Amy cheered.

"I just knew he would be fine." Tikal smiled.

Chaos and Tikal exchanged glances from far away, but could easily tell what they were saying. The ancient guardian could feel his heart pounding again, but it didn't last long. Sonic spoiled the moment.

* * *

**--Silver vs. Cooler**--

The crowd was still hyped from the last battle and eagerly welcomed the next fighters. Silver gratefully waved back to his fanbase, especially the trio of cheerleaders on the wall. As Silver stepped into the arena, Cooler rudely shoved him aside and took his position opposite of the Babylon Mystic.

"I guess you parents never taught you manners." Silver said.

"Father was too busy conquering the universe to teach anything." Cooler replied coldly.

"Speaking of relatives, you wouldn't happen to be related to Frieza, would you?" Silver questioned.

"Of course I know my own brother." Cooler said coldly. "Father always spoiled that brat, making him think he was the strongest in the universe. If he wasn't already dead, I would take great pleasure in killing him."

"And that's what I'm afraid of." Silver mumbled.

"Let the sixth match begin!" Roshi announced.

Cooler decided to start things off by pointing fingers. Now usually, this sort of tactic would be considered ridiculous, but Cooler was far beyond usual. Suddenly, a thin red beam shot from the tip of Cooler's finger and pierced Silver in the shoulder. Silver cringed and clutched his shoulder, but Cooler was no done yet. The Frieza look-alike started sending out a barrage of red beams, all aimed for Silver. The Babylon mystic reacted swiftly and held out both his hands to create a protective barrier. Despite Cooler's immense attack capabilities, the red beams didn't even seem to fazed the barrier.

"That shield of yours is truly impressive." Cooler complimented. "Exactly what is it made of?"

"Magic." Silver replied, lowering the barrier.

"Magic, as if." Cooler scoffed. "You still believe in such fairy tale dribble?"

"Oh, I don't know." Silver smirked. "Why don't we just find out for ourselves."

"Indeed." Cooler said coldly.

Cooler rushes forward and swings his foot around to Silver's head, but the grey hedgehog blocked it with his forearm. Silver charged up his fist and released a current of electricity into Cooler's chest. The alien warlord cringed for a moment, but decided to repay Silver by wrapping his tail around his throat. Silver gasped for breath, his vision slightly blacking out. In a last ditch effort, Silver stamped his foot to the ground and formed a spike of stone between them. The earth spike cut through Cooler's tail, chopping it clean off and allowing Silver to regain his breath. But cutting off Cooler's tail was the last thing anyone would want to do.

"You filthy rodent!" Cooler screamed. "Look what you have done with my tail!"

"Aw, don't worry, it will grow back." Silver joked.

"Laugh while you can, but this is the final straw." Cooler sheathed. "I wasn't planning on using this until I faced Goku or that wretched monkey, Broly. But I think you at least deserve a treat for making it this far."

"Why don't I like the looks of this?" Silver asked himself.

With a fearful look present on Silver's face, Cooler grinned evilly as he floated up into the air. The alien warlord raised his hands to the sky and began to gathered an enormous amount of energy into his open palms. At first, it started out as a small orange ball the size golf ball, but after continuing to gather energy, it reached the size of a small moon.

"What is that thing?" Cream questioned fearfully.

"That attack is known as the Death Ball." Omega stated. "It was once used by Frieza to destroy the Saiyan planet."

"He's going to blow up the world?" Tikal questioned. "Just to defeat Silver?"

"They always said he was merciless." Metal said. "they never said he was sane."

"Get ready for your last moments!" Cooler yelled. "DEATH BALL!!"

Cooler thrust his hands forward and the Death Ball followed in his presence. Though the Death Ball was slow, there was no escaping the destructive force it presented. Well, Silver would have to disagree with that.

_"He's using the same attack as Frieza, how predictable_." Silver thought. "_I only have one shot, but I've never used it before. Well, it's now or never."_ Silver held out his clenched fist and began to collect a culmination of silver chaos energy around it. The more energy that went into the fist, the stronger the aura around it. "FINAL STAR!!"

Silver opened his palm and found a small silver star formed from the energy he gathered. He thrust his hand forward and shot the small star into the depths of the planet destroyer. But the power of the Death Ball overwhelmed the tiny star and consumed it within the fiery depths.

"Hahaha!" Cooler cackled. "Did you really hope for such a pathetic attack to defeat me! You are truly – what's happening?!"

Much to Cooler's unexpected surprise, the Death Ball stopped in its tracks. Cooler continually thrust his hands, attempting to push the Death Ball closer to the planet's surface, but was unsuccessful. All of a sudden, the orange ball of destruction turned to a calming silver color. That's when Cooler realized Silver's intention. He wasn't trying to stop the Death Ball, he was attempting to repel it. And judging by the looks of it, the technique had worked. The silver Death Ball pushed itself backwards towards its creator. No matter how much Cooler tried, the Death Ball would not obey him. the battle was brought to a flashing end when the Death Ball consumed its creator and exploded in a magnificent hail of silver light.

"And the winner is Silver!"

"That a boy, Silver!" Marine cheered. "I taught him everything I knew."

"Did not." Angel remarked.

Down in the lobby, Sonic watched the whole experience from up close.

"Whoa, can't wait to learn that one." Sonic said excitingly.

* * *

**--Super 17 vs. Violet--**

Even after the outstanding performance from the last match, the audience was not thrilled for the next fight. Super 17 was easily recognized in this world for his attempt to conquer the world after bringing back the dead. Violet was exactly popular to the crowd either, especially to those who saw her last match. Sonic, Silver, and Chaos were watching the match closely from the edge of the lobby, ignoring the practice sessions between Goku and Pan behind them; her match was up next.

"So who do you think is going to win?" Sonic asked seriously.

"I have known Violet ever since I was brought into existence by the Higher Powers." Chaos stated. "There is no doubt in my mind that Violet will win."

"In my opinion, I have hopes of them taking out each other." Silver said.

Back in the arena, Super 17 looked confidently down on his small opponent.

"Now just because you're a lady doesn't mean I'm gonna go easy on you." Super 17 said menacingly. "If you want, I could have someone else help you fight for you."

"Oh, believe me." Violet muttered lowly. "You will be the one who will be in need of help."

"Let the seventh match begin!" Roshi announced.

Super 1 was the first to go on the assault and jumped forward at blinding speed. He was within reach of Violet and shoved his fist into her face. But the moment Super 17's fist collided with her face, his fist went straight through her, splashing violet colored water all over the arena floor. Super 17 smirked victoriously, only to realize that Violet's face was restored to it original position.

"I believe you were saying something." Violet taunted.

"You think you're so tough, huh?" Super 17 glared. "Well then, let's see how you handle this!"

Super 17 placed both hands under his arms and, to the crowd's astonishment, uncuffed them from his wrists. Suddenly, several hundred bullets of light endlessly burst forth from the empty sockets. Violet made no attempt to avoid the assault and allowed herself to be hit directly. Super 17 smiled malevolently and cackled furiously as he watched Violet be reduced to nothing but a puddle of her former self. Super 17 ended his attack and replaced his hands.

"Hey, old man!" Super 17 called to Roshi. "Make the call already, I have other things to do."

"All right." Roshi sighed. "And the winner is..."

"Me!"

Super 17, Roshi, and the crowd gasped anxiously as the voice began to emit from the puddle that once was Violet. Suddenly, the water puddle came to life and reshape itself until Violet stood in its place.

"Whoa, she's a shape-shifter!" Sonic exclaimed.

"She is a lot like you, Chaos." Silver said.

"_More than you know, Silver_" Chaos thought.

Back in the arena, Violet was putting the finishing touches to her body by reattaching her head.

"Such arrogance from a feeble opponent." Violet taunted. "And here I hoped you would be better than that."

"I've had enough of your talk!" Super 17 yelled. "I'm going to rip you so hard, there won't be enough of you to bring back!" Super 17, in his fury, created a sphere of electric red energy that formed a black orb in the center. "ELECTRIC HELL SPHERE!!"

Super 17 thrust the attack, creating a deafening boom in its wake. Unfortunately, Super 17 didn't take the time to perfect the attack and tiny surges of red lightning rocketed at every direction at once. The audience was forced to duck down below their seats to avoid being fried. But, as usual, Violet remained cool and collected. She merely held out her claw and, shockingly, **(No pun intended)** stopped the attack like it was nothing.

"Wha?" Super 17 gasped in surprise.

"If this is the true extent of your power, then death is the proper course for you." Violet said evilly.

Using the power coursing through her body, Violet transformed the sphere of red lighting into a sphere of black fire. Super 17 was too much in shock to notice Violet plunged the fireball into his chest until it was too late. the heat from the flames devoured Super 17's skin, revealing the mechanical works underneath. It was the last thing anyone saw of him before the black flames turned him to a pile of ash.

"And the winner is Violet!" Roshi announced.

But there was no cheer or applause for the evil water creature. As Violet passed by Sonic, Silver, and Chaos, she and Chaos exchanged hated glares between each other before entering into the lobby.

"That girl gives me chills." Sonic shivered.

"Is there anyone who can defeat that witch?" Silver questioned.

"There is one." Chaos stated. "I just hope I'm strong enough."

* * *

**--Emerl vs. Pan--**

The crowd returned to its usual volume of sound when Pan and her mysterious opponent, Emerl, made there way to the arena. Pan was sucking up all the cheers and waving back with excited looks of her own. Being the granddaughter of a hero must have really gone to her head. Emerl, on the other hand, was a timid and shy little robot and the deafening yells seemed to scare him. that fact was obvious when he tripped on his own two feet and stumbled into the arena. While the audience laughed, Metal looked worried for the little robot.

"Poor little guy." Tikal said thoughtfully. "He looks so scared."

"Do you think he'll be all right to fight?" Amy asked concerned.

"If he could make it this far, he should have no trouble beating this girl." Metal stated confidently.

Back in the ring, Emerl was pushing himself to his feet, when Pan offered her hand.

"You need to be careful." Pan said kindly, helping Emerl back up. "Don't get so upset, you'll do just fine."

"You think?" Emerl asked.

"I know." Pan smiled.

"Let the final match begin!" Roshi announced.

Emerl and Pan jumped back from each other, both looking quite serious. Pan started off with a flying kick, which Emerl blocked with a spinning kick. Pan planted her hand to the floor to regain her balance and shot another kick at Emerl's head. Emerl crossed his arms to block the impact of the kick, but was still pushed back. Emerl dropped down to the floor and spun his foot around to knock Pan off her balance. Luckily, Pan back flipped in the air and regained her composure; Emerl followed her movements.

"Hey, not bad." Pan complimented.

"I could say the same to you."

"Wow, they're amazing, mates." Marine said.

"I could barely keep up with their movements." Angel said.

"I wish Metal could teach me how to fight like that." Cream pouted, turning her attention to her teacher. "Why don't you ever teach me to fight like that?"

"Because you are still in the beginner's course." Metal stated. "It would take a year for you to reach that level."

Cream understood, but still pouted sourly. Back in the arena, things between Pan and Emerl were starting to heat up. Both opponents were not letting up on each other. Pan tried to trip Emerl, but the tiny robot grasped her ankle and tossed her outside the arena. Luckily, Pan obtained her ability of flight and floated amusingly over the outside of the ring.

"Nice try." Pan said playfully. "But it's going to take a lot more than that to beat me."

"Good." Emerl said. "I was starting to worry things would get too easy."

Pan dived at Emerl and started rapidly kicking at the small robot. While holding up his arms to block the barrage of attacks, Emerl was secretly scanning Pan inside his mind. Pan finished off her assault with a mighty fist that broke the arena floor. The reason for that is because Emerl was no longer there. Pan could hear the crowd gasping and pointing up into the sky. Pan followed the trail of signs and turned around for an unexpected surprised. Emerl was somehow flying in the air similar to Pan.

"Since when could you fly?" Pan questioned.

"Oh, just now." Emerl said nonchalantly.

"How could he fly?" Tikal asked her friends. "He doesn't look like the type that can?"

"Scanners indicate an unknown part inside that unit." Omega stated.

"Its called the Solaris Project." Metal informed. "It was a system named after the God of Soleanna."

"How do you know this?" Amy questioned.

Metal remained silent, but diligently watched as the match continued. It seemed Pan was at a real disadvantage to the small robot. It seemed that no matter how powerful her attacks were, Emerl was always one step ahead. Pan went all out with a full frontal assault, but was doing nothing against Emerl's defenses. All the while, everything was going exactly as Emerl had planned. With Pan's temper, she would most likely continue fighting until she wore herself out. Once she was too tired to move, then he would have his opportunity. Emerl's plan worked effectively. After three minutes of endless fighting, Pan was quickly growing tired and her attacks were getting sloppy. This was Emerl's chance. Grabbing Pan by her wrist, Emerl dived down to the outside of the ring, slamming Pan to the ground. Luckily, Emerl didn't slam too hard and Pan wasn't in any danger.

"And the winner is Emerl!" Roshi announced.

"Ugh, that's gonna hurt in the morning." Pan groaned. "Nice match, anyway."

"Same to you." Emerl returned.

"And that concludes the preliminary matches!" Roshi said into the microphone. "Will all the winning contestants meet in the lobby for further instructions?"

* * *

It was five minutes that everyone who had won their matches were found waiting in the lobby. All the losers were either dead or waiting for the meeting to be over outside. Sonic, Uub, Silver, Chaos, and Emerl stood on one side; Broly, Janemba, and Violet stood on the other.

"To all those who have won, congratulations." Roshi said to the group. "You will all be headed to the quarterfinals, which will be held in three days."

"What?!" Sonic exclaimed; everyone except the villains jumped. "Why do we have to wait so long? Why can't we fight now?"

"Everyone's too tired to continue." Roshi explained. "Everyone needs to rest before they can fight again. And besides, this is the perfect opportunity to get some training in. You're going to need it for the upcoming matches."

"So we just wait for three days and come back here?" Uub questioned.

"That's right." Roshi nodded. "So be rested and prepared for when that time comes."

"I'll see you next time, rat." Broly said confidently to Sonic. "And when I do, it will be the last time."

"We'll just see about that." Sonic glared.

With the meeting over, everyone went their separate ways. Broly and Janemba disappeared into a portal the interdimensional demon created and were not seen for three days. No one had seen where Violet had disappeared to, but knew that she would not gone forever. Uub said he had to go back into town to get ready for his 'meeting' with Pan. He was not exactly good at making excuses. Sonic, Silver, and Chaos joined Amy and the rest of the gang outside the coliseum.

"So, what are you going to do now, Chaos?" Tikal asked sadly.

"What do you think?" Chaos said kindly. "I'm not going to leave you again, Tikal. Once I defeat Violet, the darkness she cursed upon me will disappear. There is always a light in the darkness and you are my light, Tikal."

Tikal smiled happily at her guardian and embracing him in a loving hug, which he willingly returned.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Angel cooed.

"Now what are we going to do, mate?" Marine asked Sonic.

"Well, the quarterfinals won't start until three days." Silver said. "I think we should head back to Hollow Bastion and continue our training. Sonic needs to work on perfecting the light element; it'll take weeks to get it right."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence." Sonic said sarcastically.

The group, including Sonic and Silver, all had a good round of laughs. It was even better now that Angel was no longer depressed about Storm's death. Sonic made a vow that when he won the tournament, he would ask the Eternal Dragon to bring back Storm. But first, he needed to settle the score with Broly. As everyone started walking back the ship and Extreme Gear, they soon found Metal and Emerl talking pleasantly between each other. They only just noticed that the group arrived.

"Hello, everyone." Metal said happily. "I was just talking to Emerl about the match."

"Yeah, that was amazing." Cream said, suddenly pouting. "Too bad Metal doesn't teaching me properly."

"So, where are you head now, Emerl?" Angel asked.

"I think I should be going home." Emerl said. "It's been a while since I've been back to Hollow Bastion."

"Ain't that a coinky-dink." Marine said. "That's just where we're headed."

"I know." Emerl said, pointing to Metal. "He just told me."

"How do you and Emerl know each other, Metal?" Omega questioned.

"I know him..." Metal said slowly. "Because he's my son."

* * *

**The preliminaries come to an explosive end! Will Sonic be able to become strong enought to complete the Dragon Cup? Will Emerl prove himself in this tournament? Or will Broly achieve his goal? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	39. Chaotic Calamity

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Eight: Chaotic Calamity

Three days pasted since the preliminaries of the Dragon Cup. Sonic and Silver successfully made it to the next round, but paid a heavy price when Broly killed Storm. Once the preliminaries were over, Silver suggested continuing Sonic training in light magic back in Hollow Bastion. But even after all the training, Sonic was nowhere close to mastering the light element. On the day of the Dragon Cup Quarter finals, the group gathered outside the castle near the ship and Extreme Gears. Silver, Angel, Marine, Amy, and the Traverse Town gang were already gathered, but one member was missing from the pack.

"Hey, where's Sonic?" Amy asked worried. "I can't find him anywhere."

"Somehow, I'm not surprised." Metal said. "If I know him, he's probably at the Dark Depths."

"Why does he keep going back there, mate?" Marine asked curiously.

"It's the only thing he has left of his mother." Tikal stated. "Even though he hardly remembers her, Sonic is still sad that he never had a chance to be with his mother."

"I think we can all understand the pain of a loss." Angel said sadly, remembering Storm's death.

"Ugh, the first match will start in an hour." Silver grumbled. "If Sonic doesn't get back soon, we're leaving without him."

"But we can't do that." Cream said. "He has to fight Broly so that he can fight Mephiles."

"Don't worry, he'll be here soon." Omega stated, catching the groups attention. "In anticipation of this transaction, I deployed a scout."

Down by the Dark Depths, Sonic was visiting his mother's grave like he has always been for the past three days. He would always talk to her broken helmet, never really expecting it to answer back. But it was the only thing that could fill the void in his heart. He stared at his own reflection in the helmets visor, trying his best to imagine his mother's eyes behind them.

"Back again, are you?"

Sonic gasped slightly and swerved around with the Oathkeeper in hand. He sighed in relief when he realized it was only Metal's son, Emerl. Sonic vanished the Keyblade away and turned back to his mother's grave in total silence. In the past three days Emerl had known him, the robot pegged the hedgehog as a hyperactive showboat. To see Sonic so quite was rather unusual. Emerl stepped next to Sonic and stared at the grave.

"Is this your mother?" Emerl asked.

"That's what Metal told me." Sonic said. "You know, this is the place where my mom first met my dad. When she died, she asked Metal to bury her here."

"I can understand why." Emerl said. "This place is a bit dark, but it's calming and peaceful. You mother must have been very happy here."

"Hey, I was wonder in." Sonic said curiously. "Whatever happened to your mother?"

"I don't really know." Emerl said honestly. "Some of my circuitry was damaged when the Heartless invaded this world. All my memories of my mother have seemed to escape me. I can't hear her voice or see her eyes. It's all a blank."

"Wow, I thought I had it tough." Sonic said. "At least I can remember my mom."

"You must not let your worse memories get to you." Emerl advised. "You must learn to let go the darkness of you past and look for the light of your future. I believe you have a few shining lights waiting for you."

"I guess your right." Sonic grinned. "It would be a shame to deprive them of my brilliance." Emerl sweat dropped; Sonic walked back to the Gears and his friends. "Come on, I've got a tournament to win!"

"Well, that was easy." Emerl commented.

* * *

With the tournament ready to start in a half-hour, the Sonic Team and Traverse Town needed to work fast. Using the newly modified Warp Gear Omega invented, they arrived at Budokai within ten minutes. A side-effect was that their hair/quills and fur were all standing on end. Luckily, for some odd reason, Cream brought plenty of hair care products to fix them up. Similar to last trip, Omega held out his gun to form a path for the heroes until the reached the doorway to the coliseum. Tikal was pleased the most to see Chaos sitting at the steps.

"Good to see you, Chaos." Tikal said happily, embracing the ancient guardian.

"I am happy to see you as well, Tikal." Chaos said, returning the embrace. "Oh, and you guys, too."

"I feel so appreciated." Angel said sarcastically.

"So, what have you been doing for the past three days?" Sonic asked eagerly.

"Oh, the usual." Chaos said bored, pulling away from Tikal. "Risking my life, battling some Heartless."

"I feel for you, my friend." Silver nodded.

"The tournament shall commence in five minute!" Omega informed. "It would be advised to prepare!"

"We'll be rooting for you, Sonic." Amy said confidently.

"Come on, mates!" Marine yelled to Angel and Cream. "We have to get ready!"

"Good luck." Metal said simply.

Angel, Marine, Amy, and the Traverse Town gang walked around the coliseum to look for some good seats. Omega really comes in handy. But before following her friends, Tikal ran back and kissed Chaos on the cheek. Tikal giggled at Chaos' red face before she headed to the stands. Chaos stood there with a stupefied expression.

"Come on, lover boy." Emerl said, dragging Chaos by his foot.

The four fighters walked through the doors and found themselves in the lobby with the other warriors. Uub was talking to Goku, Broly and Janemba were silently communicating with one another, but Violet distanced herself from the others. Chaos was brought back his senses at the sight of Violet and returned her staggering glare. Roshi walked between the fighters.

"Settle down, everyone." Roshi said. "Now as you all now, things are only going to get tougher. So everyone expects you to give everything you got." Roshi glanced over Broly and Janemba. "But try to show some restraint. The first match starts in five minutes."

"Look who actually showed up." Broly chuckled darkly. "I thought you would have learned your lesson after what happened to your fat friend."

"He wasn't fat." Silver glared. "He was big boned."

"Like it matters." Broly shrugged. "This tournament is about to come to an end."

"I'll make sure of that." Sonic muttered.

* * *

--**Sonic vs. Janemba--**

The roaring crowds erupted in jubilant cheers when the next match was announced to start. Marine, Angel, and Cream had once again donned their cheerleading outfits and were waving their pom-poms on top of the wall. Amy and the others managed to get prime seats in the front row. Sonic bounced his way to the center ring while Janemba walked slowly behind.

"Geez, are you part snail or something?" Sonic said impatiently.

"..." Janemba glared.

"Ok, still creepy." Sonic commented.

"Let the first match begin!" Roshi announced.

At once, Sonic bounded from his spot and dived towards the interdimensional demon. The moment Sonic summoned the Oathkeeper to his hand; Janemba knew it was time to be serious. Janemba pulled out his crystallized red sword and clanged it against the clod metal of the Oathkeeper. Janemba was not only quick on the draw, but he was also sufficiently strong. Sonic really wished he had paid attention to Janemba's first match. Janemba pushed the Oathkeeper to one side, leaving him open for Janemba to deliver a powerful punch. Sonic tumbled across the arena, nearly falling over the edge. The crowd gasped in anticipation; Amy looked scared.

"Is he all right?" Amy asked worried.

"Except for a few broken bones, I'm sure he'll be fine." Cream said optimistically; Amy stared at her strangely.

"Yeah, that hurt." Sonic commented, rubbing his jaw. "My dentist is going to flip."

Sonic barely had time to register Janemba's presence until the demon loomed over him with his sword in hand. Janemba swung his sword down vertically, but Sonic rolled to the side to avoid the attack. Sonic jumped back to his feet and swiped at Janemba from the side, but the interdimensional demon blocked it with his own blade. Janemba whipped his tail around Sonic's arm tightly, forcing the hedgehog to release his weapon. Seeking the opportunity, Janemba swung around his sword to Sonic's head. At the last minute, Sonic released a surge of electricity into Janemba's tail. The demon screamed in pain, unintentionally releasing Sonic from his grip. In one fast motion, Sonic grabbed the Oathkeeper, knocked Janemba's sword out of the ring, and back flipped away at a safe distance.

"Now that's what I'm talking about!" Sonic cheered, followed by the crowd.

"Sonic, Sonic, he won't fail!" Marine, Cream, and Angel cheered. "He'll beat that monster and whip his tail!"

"Hey, he's not bad." Uub commented.

"But this is only the beginning." Broly added malevolently. "Janemba is not out of this game yet."

Back in the ring, Janemba was regaining his senses from Sonic's surprise attack. The interdimensional demon quickly realized his blade was thrown outside the ring, making it impossible for him to be able to use it again.

"So, you ready to give up?" Sonic asked.

But Janemba didn't look ready to give up. On the contrary, he looked victories. Janemba held out his hand and formed a thin silver line in the air. Sonic didn't like the looks of it, and with good reason. Once Janemba made the line, it shattered into hundreds of glass-like shards. Sonic panicked and just started swing the Oathkeeper at random as Janemba released the storm of shards. Sonic seemed to be doing well to fend off the attack until a shards pierced his arm. Sonic temporarily dropped his guard in pain, which allowed the other shards to pass by. The glass shards attacked consecutively in one place, forming a cloud of dust. The attack ended. As the dust cloud faded, Sonic was seen lying on the ground; shards piercing every part of his body.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

"That monster!" Uub growled.

Broly grinned wickedly. It looks like he won't have to dirty his own hands. Janemba took in the moment of Sonic defeat before turning his eyes on Roshi. The old hermit trembled, realizing what the demon was trying to say.

"A-and the w-winner is..."Roshi said shakily.

"Hold it!" Janemba and the crowd returned to Sonic, who was getting back to his feet. "This match ain't over yet!"

"Yay, Sonic!" Marine, Cream, and Angel cheered.

"Sonic, don't give up!" Amy yelled. "I believe in you!"

Sonic grinned at the trust and loyalty he received from his friends and the crowd. Janemba looked disgusted. Janemba waved his hand across the air, forming another silver line. Sonic recalled the last attack and realized it took time for Janemba to perform the attack. As a last ditch effort, Sonic held out the Oathkeeper and activated the keychain ability. A thin white beam burst from the end of the blade, catching Janemba by surprise. The beam shot through Janemba's chest, relinquishing all the darkness at formed it. With all the darkness gone, Janemba faded from existence, taking all of his exploits with him.

"And the winner is Sonic!" Roshi announced.

"I knew he could do it." Amy said softly.

Sonic thrust his hand in the air, earning another round of cheers. Unfortunately, that was all the strength he had left. A moment later, Sonic fell flat on his face and blacked out. Fortunately, the medics were already prepared.

* * *

--**Uub vs. Broly--**

There was a heightened sense of anxiety in the air, but with slight feeling of fear. It was the match against Broly, the most powerful villain of Budokai. The tall saiyan entered the ring, shortly followed by Uub. Sonic pleaded to the medics to let him watch the match, but it was a no-go. So Silver promised to give a full detailed report on the match. Currently, Silver was getting a bird-eyes view from a wandering bird he transferred his mind to.

"You're Kakarot's student, aren't you?" Broly said menacingly. "I do hope you can entertain me before you die."

"My master's name is Goku." Uub said sternly. "And I have no intention of losing."

"Let the second match begin!" Roshi announced.

Before the words were even said, the fighters were already at each other. Broly had one advantage for being tall, which made him nearly impossible for Uub to knock down. But had an advantage for being smaller, which made him difficult for Broly to catch. Broly tried to grab Uub, but the nimble fight slipped through Broly's legs and kicked him hard in the back. While his back was still turned, Uub flipped into the air and unleashed a barrage of energy blasts. Broly didn't even have time to avoid them as the exploded on contact with his body. But Uub knew Broly was too strong to go down that easily. Uub cupped his hands together, gathering a large amount of blue energy.

"KA-ME-HA-ME-HA!" Uub yelled.

Uub unleashed his attack, creating a devastating blast. The force of the attack ripped the floor of the arena to pieces and sent nearly all of the audience flying out of their seats. Uub let his attack down and cautiously waited for the cloud of smoke to disappear. As it slowly faded, Uub noticed a feint trace of golden light in the smoke. Uub was filled with nothing but fear and dread when the golden light showed the shrouded figure. It was Broly, but his hair was spiked and golden.

"What is that?" Cream asked curiously.

"I've never seen a power such as this before." Metal said.

"Y-you." Uub stammered fearfully. "You're a super saiyan."

Broly said nothing, only taking in the pleasure of Uub's fear. Before anyone could even blink, Broly vanished from sight. Uub reacted to this and searched the skies left and right for the legendary saiyan. Unfortunately, the only place he never looked was behind, which was where Broly was. The powerful warrior grasped Uub by his head, tightening his grip on the fighter. Uub cried out in pain, pleading for the pain to stop. Broly, feeling generous, lightened his grip on Uub, but smashed his face into the ground outside the ring.

"The winner is Broly!" Roshi announced.

The crowd was not pleased by the turn out and started chucking random items at Broly. It was only when they received Broly's glare did they stop. Silver returned his mind to his original body and sighed heavily.

"Sonic's not going to like this." Silver groaned.

**

* * *

**

--Silver vs. Chaos--

Sonic was finally able to leave the ward; and just in time to watch his two good friends in their match. It was one of the more anticipated battles, next to Sonic's matches, and the crowd was going nuts. Chaos and Silver glanced at each other as both of them stepped into the ring. But out in the stands, Angel, Marine, and Cream were having some difficulties with their cheers.

"This could be a problem." Cream said.

"Why? What's wrong?" Tikal asked worried.

"With Silver and Chaos both fighting, I don't know who to cheer for." Cream explained.

"Go Silver!" Angel screamed.

"Go Chaos!" Marine cheered.

Marine and Angel turned to one another and glared darkly; sparks of war radiating from their eyes. Amy and the Traverse Town gang sweat dropped. Back in the ring, Silver and Chaos bowed to each other in respect.

"I hope for a good match." Chaos stated.

"Just promise that you won't hold back." Silver grinned.

"Oh, you are going to wish you never said that." Chaos chuckled.

"Let the third match begin!" Roshi announced.

Chaos bounded off the ground immediately and extended his claws, turning them sharp. In reaction, silver recalled a puddle of water from his pouch, which he brought with him for the match, and froze it into a wall of ice. Chaos' claw bounced off the wall, giving Silver the opportunity to strike. Silver unfroze the wall and released a torrent of rush waters that swept Chaos towards the outer ring. Acting fast, Chaos slammed his claw into the ground, stopping himself from flying out of the arena.

"Hey, not bad." Chaos complimented.

"I do my best." Silver smirked.

"But it seems your best isn't enough." Chaos stated. "In case you haven't noticed, I am a warrior made of water." He waved his arms out, pointing at the water Silver left. "And if you didn't realize it, I have water capabilities as well."

"This is bad." Silver muttered.

Chaos waved his arms, forming the water that surrounded him into a bubble in midair. Chaos burst the bubble and unleashed a jet of pressurized water. Silver quickly reacted by slamming his hands to the ground, summoning a wall of earth to protect him. Chaos looked displeased, but was a bit preoccupied when he saw something form beneath the wall. Suddenly, several needles of shadows erupted from the ground and were sent flying in Chaos' direction. Chaos back flipped to avoid the assault and even swatted a few away for safety. Realizing that standing still was not getting anywhere, Chaos swerved past the fleeting shadows and slammed his fist down on the stone wall. But once the pile of rocks crumbled, Silver had already disappeared, leaving nothing but a large hole in the ground.

"_He went underground._" Chaos thought. "_That just leaves one question: Where is he?"_

Chaos was on the lookout for anything that might give a sign of Silver's whereabouts; the crowd followed his example. No one made a sound, not even the tiniest of insects. Suddenly, the unexpected happened. Chaos heard something crumbling under his feet and slammed his fist into the ground. When he pulled his hand back up, he realized it was only Silver's water pouch. It was a trap and he fell for it. Silver popped out of the ground behind Chaos and trapped the ancient guardian with his psychic powers. Silver used his mental powers to fling Chaos over his shoulders and out of the ring.

"He did it!" Angel cheered, grinning at Marine. "You owe me ten buck."

"Stupid water guy." Marine grumbled, unwilling handing over the money.

"That was a great match." Silver said, holding his hand to Chaos.

"But the better man won." Chaos stated, accepting Silver's offer. "I wish you the best of luck in the further matches."

"And the winner is Chaos!" Roshi announced.

"Say what?!" Silver, Chaos, Sonic, Metal, and pretty much everyone else exclaimed in confusion.

"But that doesn't make sense." Chaos defended. "I was the one who fell out of the ring."

"Technically, it was Silver who exited the ring first." Roshi explained. "When he dug under the ring, he touched the ground, which is part of the outside. It was an automatic ring out once he started digging."

"Damn!" Silver yelled furiously.

With the mix-up solved, the crowd began cheering for the real winner, Chaos. Marine was grinning ear-to-ear as she took back her money and the money Angel owed her. Angel swore to make Silver pay later. Silver walked back to the lobby, only to find Sonic laughing at his humiliating defeat. In return, Silver pressed against Sonic's back, sending waves of pain down the hedgehog's spine. Chaos entered the lobby shortly after, glaring at Violet as she passed by.

"I'll be waiting, Chaos." Violet said malevolently.

"Tonight, we end this, Violet." Chaos whispered.

**

* * *

**

--Violet vs. Emerl--

It was the final match, which disappointed most, but the tense was still thick with danger. It was the last match with Violet and she was going up against the wandering mech, Emerl. Emerl, though strong, was still intimidated by his lethal opponent. He stared out into the audience and caught his father's gaze. Though it may look like nothing to others, Emerl could see love and respect brimming from them. Emerl felt invincible with his father's praise.

"Come on, Emerl!" Marine, Angel, and Cream cheered. "Mop up that freak show!"

"Think you really stand against a warrior such as myself." Violet chuckled.

"I don't know if I can win." Emerl said. "But I will give it all I got."

"Let the final match begin!" Roshi announced.

Violet took a deep, calming breath, giving her the presence of relaxation. Suddenly, six violet tentacles formed from Violet's back, lashing at everything within their reach. Unknown to Violet, Emerl was preparing himself by scanning all of Violet's previous tactics, plus the attack she was performing now. It was only three seconds after that Emerl realized Violet went on the attack. She wrapped two of the tentacles around the small robot's legs and tossed him into the air. Two more tentacles grasped Emerl around his body, strapping his arms to his sides, and slammed him into the ground. The remaining two tentacles started whipping Emerl mercilessly. The audience would flinch every time Violet cracked her tentacles on Emerl's small body.

"Get out of there, Emerl!" Cream cried.

"I don't see any way for him to escape." Omega stated.

"There is one thing you should never do." Metal said pleasingly. "And that is to never underestimate my son."

Back in the ring, Violet continued her brutal assault until she started to get bored. Violet took her four remaining tentacles and merged them together into a vicious water snake. Just as the water snake lunged at Emerl, it was suddenly destroyed by a flash of silver.

"What?!" Violet exclaimed in surprise.

Emerl had somehow broken free from Violet's grip and destroyed the water snake with the use of his newest power. By copying the data of Violet's biological structure and powers, Emerl had gained the ability to create six silver tentacles from his back. The silver tentacles were absorbed back into Emerl's backside and resumed his stance.

"A bit surprised, aren't you?" Emerl sniggered. "I must admit, I was surprised that I could even copy this technique at all."

"Enjoy the sensation while you still can." Violet said darkly. "Because this battle is about to end."

Violet dived forward after Emerl, who followed in her steps. Violet extended her claws like Chaos did earlier, but Emerl was also following the same technique; his claws were silver. Violet swiped across Emerl's head, but the small robot repelled the attack and fought back with his own. Violet flipped backwards, only to realize that Emerl had stretched his arm beyond its normal extent. Violet was sent flying by the silver hand, but quickly reacted by throwing out her own arms. Both her claws handed on each side of the robot, intentionally missing her target, which Emerl figured out.

"What's she up to?" Emerl murmured.

"Have a nice flight!" Violet screamed.

By the time Emerl realized Violet's unusual tactic, it was already too late. Using her grounded arms, Violet propelled herself back into the arena like a high-speed slingshot. Emerl wasn't fast enough to avoid the attack and was kicked hard in the chest. The force of the attack sent Emerl flying out of the arena and into the stands, creating a large crater where Emerl crashed. Angel, Marine, Amy, and the Traverse Town gang ran through the crowd to see if Emerl was all right. Emerl was found without his right arm, leg and chucks of his face; but in all, Emerl was just fine.

"The winner is Violet!" Roshi announced; earning several boos from the audience. "Will the winners of today's matches please report to the lobby for further instructions?"

* * *

Ten minutes later, Violet, Broly, and Chaos were waiting patiently for the last of the fighters to arrive. Roshi and Goku were standing before the trio of fighters, refusing to give further instructions until everyone was in the room. Finally, after much long waiting, Sonic crashed through the doors and skid to a halt in the middle of the group.

"Where were you, rat?" Broly growled.

"Sorry I'm late, guys." Sonic said sheepishly, ignoring Broly's questioned. "I was just making sure that Emerl was all right."

"Now that everyone is here, we can begin." Roshi said. "To those of you remaining, you are all headed for the semi-finals. The next match will begin in exactly three days."

"Again?" Sonic groaned.

"Yes, again." Goku laughed. "Anyway, the next matches will be the following: Sonic vs. Broly, Chaos vs. Violet. Come back in the days and be sure to be at top physical condition."

"You concern is touching." Broly laughed darkly. "But hardly necessary."

Goku and Broly both exchanged glares, untold furious hatred brimming from both of them. Once the meeting was finished, Sonic and Chaos left through the doors to meet Amy, the Sonic Team, and the Traverse Town gang. Metal was holding his broken son, who seemed to be operational again. Broly had long since disappeared, but couldn't have gotten too far without Janemba. Violet, on the other hand, was waiting next to the door, leaning against the wall as Sonic and Chaos welcomed their friends.

"Hey, Emerl." Sonic greeted kindly. "How are you feeling?"

"I seem to be doing fine." Emerl said sarcastically. "Other than the fact that I can't walk, my arm has been ripped off, and that most of my circuits have been shot, I'm doing just fine."

"Someone's cranky." Marine giggled.

Chaos was too busy staring at Violet to pay any attention to what was happening. Chaos was only brought back when Tikal walked up to him, a look of concern in her eyes. It only made Chaos's decision even more painful.

"Chaos." Tikal said softly. "Are you ok?"

"I'm...just fine." Chaos said hesitantly.

"Anyway, like we were saying." Silver said irritantly. "We were all planning to head back to Hollow Bastion for the next three days. Sonic still needs to perfect the light element."

"Hey, I'm close, aren't I?" Sonic asked hopefully.

"Not even." Silver said coldly, turning back to Chaos. "We know since Hollow Bastion was your original home, we were hoping that you would come back with us."

"I am touched by you offer." Chaos said happily. "But I'm afraid I can't join you."

"Why not?" Tikal asked sadly.

"I have...other matters to deal with." Chaos said slowly, looking back to Violet.

Tikal saw this and knew what he was talking about. Something in Tikal's heart began to break, but knew this was something he had to do. He gave the ancient guardian one last hug, which Chaos was hesitant and happy to return. After a moment of peace, the two separated and bid each other farewell. Tikal walked past the group towards the ship; the group looked confused. Metal seemed to understand and order the crew back to the ship and Gears. As Chaos walked back to the coliseum, he took one last look at the departing group. For the first time in his existence, Chaos cried.

"Sonic, you are destined for great things." Chaos muttered. "Tikal, I'm sorry I never told you how I felt: I love you."

And against his own wants, Chaos trudged back to the coliseum to accept his fate.

* * *

The day turned to night and the coliseum was found empty. The only exception was Chaos, who was entering the arena with a serious expression held on his face. This was the final showdown that would determine the fate of his heart. It was here he would face his destiny. The wind suddenly picked up, but Chaos paid no attention. As the wind died down, Violet appeared opposite of her counterpart. Chaos gripped his claws tightly, drawing green blood in his hands.

"After all that's happened, it finally comes to this." Chaos said.

"Tell me, how much do you hate me?" Violet said humorlessly.

"I never thought I would be capable of doing such a thing." Chaos said sadly. "But after what you did to them: Aero, Lightra, Obsiden, and Heat. How could you kill my friends? You, my own sister."

"Times have changed us, brother." Violet said. "As long as you cling to the past, you cannot defeat me."

"But I must defeat you." Chaos said. "Not only to avenge my friend, but to wake myself of this nightmare. Everyday, I wander the worlds, trapped in the darkness. You are that darkness."

"If that's so, then I shall draw you further into the darkness, brother." Violet said. "Into a nightmare that will forever deprive you of the light, from which you will never awaken."

"If that is my destiny, then I shall face it to the end." Chaos said seriously.

The two remained in one spot, both concentrated on their targets. A flowing aura of energy surrounds each of them; Chaos' green, Violet's red. The combined forces of energy defied the laws of gravity and lifted the stones tiles of the arena off the ground. Suddenly, the two clashed. Violet swiped her claw forward, but Chaos dodges his head to the side. Chaos swings his foot around, but Violet blocks it with his forearm. They both pushed away from each other; Violet grabbed the stone tiles and tossed them at her brother. Chaos skipped across the surfaces of the tiles and swung his claw down on Violet. Suddenly, Violet vanishes in a flash of light. Chaos landed back on his feet, but quickly swung his claw upwards. Violet's claw collided with her brother's and they were both locked in a stalemate.

"You can never escape your darkness." Violet growled. "As long as you continue to cling to the past, I will always return."

"Then maybe it's time I move on to the future!" Chaos yelled. "I will create a better future! One where I shall live in peace with my friends and the one I love! That is my true destiny!"

Visions of Sonic, Metal, Emerl, and all his friends appeared in Chaos' mind. For years, Chaos had been alone, only having to rely on himself. But then he found a light: his friends. But the one who drew him farther back into the light was Sonic, an amazing hero with fate of the worlds on his shoulders. He hoped to see him again soon. It was funny, but even as he was on the brink of defeat, Tikal was the only one that kept appearing in his mind. He would be sure that the next time they met; he would draw the courage to tell his true feelings. Violet's eyes widened in shock as an aura of white light surrounded Chaos' body.

"What is that?" Violet questioned

"This is my future!" Chaos yelled

Chaos tossed his sister to the other side of the ring, but Violet jumped back to her feet. As Chaos came charging, a massive aura of darkness surrounded Violet as the two clashed. The two forces clashed with one another, creating an explosion of pressurized power. But when the two forces subsided, Chaos and Violet were nowhere to be seen.

* * *

**The will always be hope in the ones you care for. What has become of Chaos and Violet? Will Chaos ever return to tell Tikal his feelings? And will Sonic be strong enough to defeat his final opponent? Find out on the next Kingdom Heart: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	40. Battle of Legends

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Thirty-Nine: Battle of Legends

Three days have passed since the quarterfinals of the Dragon Cup. Chaos and Violet had secretly battle the night the battles ended, but no one has heard from them since. Tikal was becoming more worried with each passing day. But Sonic had no time to worry. With him going up against Broly, Black Doom's second-in-command, Sonic needed to perfect every technique he knew. He had already completed basic fire, water, earth, lightning, and darkness magic. He was exceptionally skilled in wind magic. The only problem was, he had absolutely no aptitude in light magic. Silver was testing him in the castle entrance as Amy, Marine, Angel, Tikal, and Cream watched from the second floor balcony.

"Ok, try again." Silver ordered.

"CHAOS SPEAR!" Sonic shouted, throwing out him open palm. He managed to create the tiniest spark of light before it extinguished itself. Silver sweat-dropped. "Hey, at least I managed to make something this time."

"Yeah, Broly will dazzled by your amazing display." Silver said sarcastically.

"_Face it, kid_." Dark Sonic said mentally. "_You're a loser._"

"_Shut up!_" Sonic mentally replied.

"Remember what I said, Sonic." Silver lectured. "Light and darkness are unique elements became they are powered by thoughts and memories. Darkness is made from negative emotions and horrible memories. Light is made from our positive emotions and happiest memories. You need to focus on the happiest memory you've got."

"I'm trying!" Sonic exclaimed. "But it's so difficult."

"Why isn't Sonic learning this like the other elements?" Amy asked worried

"I think it would be obvious."

Just then, Metal walked in view from the balcony with his son, Emerl, in tow. After the battle against Violet, Chaos' sister, Emerl was left severely damaged. But thanks to Metal and Omega's expertise, he was made as good as new.

"Hey, mates!" Marine waved. "Where've you been all day?!"

"You know, around." Emerl shrugged.

"What do you mean, Metal." Angel asked.

"Sonic could have easily created light magic before, but not now." Metal explained. "After learning of both his parent's deaths, discovering the ruins of his old home, and losing his best friend, all his good memories have been pushed to the back of his mind. Darkness comes so easy to him because all he can think about is those horrible memories."

"That certainly explains a lot." Cream muttered.

"So, what do we do for him?" Tikal asked.

"There's nothing we can do." Silver sighed. "If Sonic can't access those happy memories, then there's no point in trying to learn light magic."

Silver hung his head and turned away from Sonic, disappointment evident from his expression. Sonic was furious at himself for failing, but was even more angry at his progress. His mother was a master at light magic, even more than Silver, according to Metal. Would she be disappointed in him or ashamed? As his thoughts raced along that trail, Omega suddenly stomped into the room from the library on the second floor.

"I have urgent news!" Omega stated.

"What is it, Omega?" Tikal asked curiously.

"I have been warned that the Dragon Cup Finals will begin in less than one hour!" Omega informed frantically.

"The finals?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Are you sure you didn't here wrong?" Angel questioned.

"I am certain." Omega stated. "I received word from the Babylon Engineers, Vector and Charmy, that it is the finals."

"Wonder what happened to make them change it?" Amy pondered.

"We'll just have to ask Master Roshi." Sonic nodded.

The rest of the group agreed and swiftly scattered, making their way to the ship and Extreme Gears.

* * *

Once again using the special Warp Gear perfected by Omega, the large group arrived at Budokai with a half-hour to spare. Everyone in the streets pretty much knew the routine and cleared a path for Sonic and his friends. Having a two-ton robot of death really comes in handy sometimes. As the heroes approached the coliseum, they received an unpleasant surprise when they found Broly standing near the door. Broly saw them and grinned in a wicked manner.

"I'm guessing you heard, rat." Broly said deviously.

"First off, I'm not a rat, I'm a hedgehog." Sonic growled. "And second, what do you know about it?"

"I was just as surprised as you were." Broly said honestly.

"But where's Chaos and Violet." Tikal asked worried.

"They left."

Just then, the doors to the coliseum opened to reveal Master Roshi and Goku. Broly glared daggers through Goku, which Sonic was sure he felt. Master Roshi approached the group; a small piece of folded paper held in his hand.

"What do you mean they left?" Emerl questioned.

"They just disappeared three days ago." Goku explained, ignoring Broly. "They must have had a big fight; the arena was torn up when came to check on it. They both left a note saying they forfeited the match. Since both of them are gone, we have no choice but to move on to the finals."

"Looks like I become immortal sooner then I expected." Broly cackled, walking into the lobby.

"So, Chaos just left?" Tikal asked sadly.

"He did." Roshi nodded, holding out the paper. "But he left another letter addressed to you."

Tikal was surprised, but ultimately took hold of the paper. She opened the letter and allowed everyone to read it. Chaos left a detailed message saying that Violet had escaped from the fight three days ago and was now searching for her. He didn't know how long it would take, but he would return to Tikal as soon as possible. He also wished Sonic the best of luck and hoped that he wouldn't allow Broly to obtain his wish. After reading the letter, Tikal held it close to her heart, wanting to keep Chaos close.

"I'm going to miss him." Marine said. "He was a cool looking guy."

"He said he would be back." Cream said cheerfully. "I know he'll keep his promise."

"And Sonic needs to hold his promise." Metal stated, turning to said hedgehog. "Sonic, don't you dare hold back. Broly will be in this to kill, as he demonstrated on Storm. If you lose, it will be the end of us all."

"So, no pressure." Angel said brightly.

"Yeah, no pressure at all." Sonic said sarcastically.

"Good luck, Sonic." Amy smiled. "We'll be rooting for you."

Sonic appreciated the support from his friends as they went to find good seats in the stands. Marine, Cream and Angel hurried off to put on their cheerleading outfits. This left Sonic and Silver alone. Student and master stared ach other down for a moment before clasping their hands together, confident looks on both of their faces.

"I know you'll do well." Silver stated.

"Of course, this is me we're talking about." Sonic smirked.

Silver rolled his eyes, but laughed none-the-less. As Silver walked back to the stands, Sonic followed Goku and Roshi into the lobby where he would face his greatest challenge yet.

**

* * *

**

--Sonic vs. Broly--

There has never been a bigger turnout in the history of the World Martial Arts Tournament than today. Word of Chaos and Violet's resignation had spread and millions of species from across the universe have culminated for this single event. All the stands were jammed packed, so many of the viewers had to watch from with the help of a giant alien. Amy and the others were lucky to beat the rush and found perfect seats in the front row. Cream, Angel, and Marine had donned their cheerleading outfits and were bouncing on the top wall. Master Roshi walked out to the center ring.

"Are you ready for the match of the Century?!" Roshi yelled. The crowd roared in applause. "The first is a newcomer who quickly worked his way into our hearts. The Keyblade Master, Sonic the Hedgehog!"

The gang and the crowd jumped for a look at the blue hedgehog as he gallantly made his way to the center stage.

"And the next is someone you certainly remember." Roshi said stoically. "He has destroyed many worlds and maybe even yours. Please welcome the Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly."

The crowd let out gestures of utter disgust as the unpopular saiyan made his way to the ring. The crowd stopped once Broly glared in their general direction.

"Not too happy to see you, are they?" Sonic grinned.

"They'll be even more displeased once I obtain my wish."

"Let the final match of the Dragon Cup begin!" Roshi announced.

Sonic was barely able to react once Broly bounded off the ground at the end of the sentence. The legendary saiyan swung his fist around, but Sonic dropped to the floor on his back. Once Broly was over him, the blue hedgehog kicked upwards, sending the saiyan hurtling into the air. Broly caught himself and hovered for a moment to watch Sonic flip back to his feet and summon the Oathkeeper. Broly glared in pure spite at the sight of the fabled weapon.

"That weapon may have worked on my predecessors," Broly seethed, forming a mass of green energy in his hands. "But it won't be enough to stop me!"

"Uh-oh!" Sonic exclaimed.

Broly shot his hand forward, unleashing an enormous ball of green energy. Acting fast, Sonic summoned the shadows to hold the energy ball in its place and called several slated columns of earth to halt its movements. The attack wasn't stopped, but only slowed down. This allowed Sonic the opportunity to run out of the way by the time his magic wore off. The shadows faded and the earth crumbled, allowing the target to continue its progress. It completely missed Sonic, but left a massive crater outside the ring. Just when Sonic thought he was safe, Broly appeared out of nowhere and kicked the hedgehog to the chin, sending him straight into the air. Broly sped to the air and grasped Sonic by his head before throwing him back into the ring. Sonic landed hard, but it only got worse once Broly pile-drived him into the floor with his feet.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

"Come on, mate!" Marine yelled. "Don't let your captain down."

"You're not our captain!" Silver and Angel exclaimed.

"Grouchy bunch." Marine mumbled.

Back in the arena, Sonic remained motionless while Broly kicked him.

"Is that truly the best you can do?" Broly chuckled. "It's a wonder how you beat Janemba."

Broly swung his leg for another kick until the Oathkeeper suddenly cut across his leg. Broly cried out in pain and grasped his bleeding knee. Suddenly, Sonic flipped over on his back and clasped his hands together; flames of determination in his eyes. Those flames were ejected as Sonic unleashed his biggest fireball ever from his mouth. Broly barely acknowledge the attack before he was engulfed in the cindering flames. The fireball flew across the arena, through the lobby doors, and into town. With the lobby entrance completely incinerated, this gave people a better way to see the match.

"Whoops, look's like I overdid it." Sonic said sheepishly.

"Now that's some serious firepower." Emerl commented.

"He seems to have a firm grasp on the concept of fire." Tikal stated.

"Fire comes from compassion and drive." Silver informed. "Something Sonic easily understands."

"So, is it over?" Cream asked.

"Thermal sensors prove otherwise." Omega stated.

Back in the arena, Sonic was waving to his cheering fans for his "victory". But as the smoke cleared, Sonic suddenly became aware of the towering man standing over him. Sonic jumped away from the man and summoned the Oathkeeper when he noticed the slight change in Broly's appearance. Broly's dark eyes were green and his hair was spiked and golden.

"That's the same move you used on Uub." Sonic proclaimed.

"At least we know your memory is working." Broly cackled. "As a super saiyan, I can't be beaten by your lower level of power."

"We'll just see about that!" Sonic yelled.

Sonic charged in headlong and swung the Oathkeeper around Broly as he passed by. Sonic grinned at himself, believing that he had won. But his celebration was quickly ended when he felt a powerful hands grasp his head and lifted him to the air; the Oathkeeper was dropped. Sonic was forced to look at his opponent again and realized that the attack didn't even phase the super saiyan.

"I told you before, rat." Broly said malevolently. "I am invincible."

"Yeah, but you're still ugly." Sonic commented.

Broly was not at all amused. The powerful super saiyan reeled back his fist and launched it into Sonic's lower torso. The force of the hit could be felt all around the coliseum and even out in the town. Sonic curled around his stomach and started coughing loudly; blood dripping to the floor below him. Broly reeled back his fist and struck the hedgehog in the same place, receiving the same result. Broly released Sonic, only to kick him back into the air with his knee. Sonic was tossed high into the air, in clear view of the audience, and slowly descended back to the ground. Unfortunately, Broly wouldn't let him hit. The heartless saiyan grabbed Sonic by his arms and legs and placed him on his head. Broly pulled down from both sides, stretching Sonic's limbs away from his torso. Sonic pained screams could be heard for miles.

"That's right, scream." Broly laughed wickedly. "Scream your little heart out."

"We've got to help him!" Amy cried.

"There's nothing we can do." Omega stated. "The rules clearly state..."

"I don't care about the rules!" Amy yelled as she stood up. "I have to help Sonic!"

"Amy..." Angel said calmly, using her antenna to push Amy back. "Sonic made a promise to defeat Broly for Storm. I know, when things look bad, Sonic always finds a way to turn things around. You just have to believe in him."

Amy wasn't fully convinced, but she pulled her hopes out for Sonic's survival. Back in the arena, Sonic continued to cry out as he felt his limbs being ripped from their sockets. What would his father do in this sort of situation? What plan would his mother think of? And even more importantly, how would Espio handle this?

"_Don't tell me your about to quit?_"

"_Espio?_" Sonic thought.

"_Come on, I didn't make that keychain for nothing._"

The keychain! He had almost forgotten it. Using whatever strength he had, Sonic pointed two fingers down at Broly. Suddenly, an electric surge escaped his fingers and zapped the saiyan down the spine. Broly lowered his grip momentarily, allowing the blue hedgehog to break free. Sonic kicked at Broly's face, who staggered back in pain, and made a grab for the Oathkeeper. Sonic quickly reached in his quills and pulled out the black crown to replace Amy's charm. The keyblade was now deep black, had a blue jewel in the hilt, bat wings around the handle, a chain down the shaft, and the kanji for darkness as the teeth. The power of darkness given to him by Espio: Oblivion.

"Awesome." Sonic awed at his new Keyblade.

"When did he get a new Keyblade?" Emerl questioned.

"Isn't that the one he found in that big keyhole thing?" Marine asked curiously.

"That's the one." Angel nodded. "He said it came from Espio."

"Espio?" Amy repeated curiously.

Back in the arena, Broly regained his senses and stared at Sonic's newest Keyblade.

"Just because you changed its appearance will not help you survive!" Broly yelled.

"I'm willing to give it a try." Sonic said confidently.

"Then you will suffer for your mistake." Broly said lowly.

Broly lightly stepped off the floor and floated aimlessly in the air above. He held out his open palm and gathered an enormous amount of green energy into it. It looked similar to the attack in his previous form, but Sonic could tell that it was much stronger. The air in the coliseum became thicker as Broly continually culminated the intense energy into the size of a small sphere. Sonic was shaken for a moment until he heard a familiar voice in the back of his head.

"_Are you ready for this?_"

"_Ready as I'll ever be._" Sonic mentally replied.

"_All right, time to break loose!_"

"Now die!" Broly roared.

Broly released the small sphere of energy and tossed in down at the blue hedgehog. As it came closer, Sonic held up the Oblivion to block it. Sonic managed to hold it at bay, but the blast was still closing in on him. Suddenly, with a wave of Broly's hand, the small sphere expanded to gargantuan proportions. Many of the people in the audience were forced to flee from the sheer force of the blast; Omega and Silver created a protective barrier around the group. While Sonic managed to keep the attack from killing him, he slowly felt himself losing his stance. Sonic was on his knees, thinking it was over. It looked that way until his keychain began to glow. Finally the attack became so powerful that it fully engulfed the Keyblade Master.

"Sonic!" Amy cried.

"Thermal scanners not detecting life." Omega stated.

"I can't believe it." Metal growled.

High above the coliseum, Broly was watching the entire plot unfold. His attack had crushed the hedgehog and was now on its way to crushing Budokai from the inside. Things were looking up for him.

"Where Black Doom failed, I have succeeded!" Broly cackled. "I am true the strongest in the universe!"

"Don't count on it." A dark voice echoed.

The sound of the voice drew Broly and the audience's attention back to the massive green sphere. All of a sudden, the green sphere turned jet black and repelled away from the planet. Realizing his attack was returning, Broly swatted it away into the depths of space, where it exploded in a flash of brilliant lights. While many were dazed by the lights, Broly and the Sonic Team stared back at the arena where Sonic stood. Instead of a blue hedgehog, they were met with the sight of his Heartless half: Dark Sonic.

"Is that Sonic?" Cream asked curiously.

"Kinda, mate." Marine replied. "That's Dark Sonic."

"But I do not detect any life radiating from him." Omega proclaimed.

"In that form, he's a Heartless." Angel explained. "The reason you can't feel him is because his heart isn't there."

Back in the arena, Broly floated down and stepped into the arena across from Sonic.

"How did you get this way?" Broly asked curiously.

"I suppose it's this keychain." Dark Sonic said, holding out the Oblivion. "This Keychain must allow Sonic and I to be in sync with one another. His light and my darkness allow us to remain in complete control of our actions."

"Blue or black, your fate remains the same." Broly stated.

Broly held out his hand to perform the same attack, but his actions were halted. Dark Sonic zipped up to the mighty super saiyan and retained a firm grasp on his wrist. Dark Sonic swung the Oblivion across Broly's chest so many times that it was amazing he didn't go through. Broly dropped to his knees, clutching his bloody chest; Dark Sonic still held his wrist.

"Unhand me." Broly gasped.

"As you wish." Dark Sonic said coolly.

Dark Sonic released Broly, but came around with a surprise kick to the face. Broly stumbled backwards slight, but ultimately managed to crawl to his feet. He tried to form an attack again, but Dark Sonic zoomed in close and slammed his fist into Broly's chest. That did it. Dark Sonic's attack pelt Broly off the floor and outside the ring, giving him the win.

"The winner and new champion is Sonic the Hedgehog!" Roshi announced.

The audience jumped out of the seats and celebrated Broly's defeat. Even the Sonic Team was joining in the party. Sonic, who was still in his Heartless form, waved out to the applauding crowd. Suddenly, a green sphere zoomed out of nowhere and blasted Sonic straight out of the ring. The audience gasped when they realized it was Broly who committed the assault.

"What are you doing?!" Roshi panicked. "The match is over!"

"No!" Broly roared. "I will not accept this! That wish will be mine, no matter what!!"

As Dark Sonic, with the help of his friends, stood back to his feet, Broly was suddenly surrounded by a powerful green aura. The wind suddenly kicked up and tossed out the entire audience from the coliseum. Silver and Omega used the barrier to protect the group and Goku grabbed Roshi. With each passing second, his power went beyond anyone's imagination; the sky turned deathly black following this. The power became too much to compress and Broly's body was ripped to shreds in an explosion strong lights. When the surge finally died down, Silver and Omega dropped the barrier; Goku and Roshi landed next to them.

"Is it over?" Tikal asked.

"Not quite." Goku said seriously.

As the smoke cleared, they could see Broly again, but his appearance had changed dramatically. His hair remained golden and wild, but his pupils had disappeared. But what caught the heroes' attention the most was the expansion of Broly's body mass. His muscles bulged out widely that it was amazing the planet could even hold him. A golden radiance surrounded his massive body as he stared at the group with expressions of victory.

"What happened to him?" Cream asked.

"That's Broly's Legendary Form." Goku stated. "I fought it before and barely survived. I better take him."

"No, Goku, this is my fight." Dark Sonic interrupted.

"No, you can't!" Amy cried, grasping his cold arm. "He's too strong, you could die!"

"I can take him." Dark Sonic said calmly. "But only if you believe in me."

Amy was worried about Broly, but even more worried that Sonic's confidence could get the best of him. Amy tried to retain a firm grip on his arm, but the dark hedgehog had already vanished. He reappeared across from Broly with the Oblivion in his hand. Judging by Broly's endless cackles, he had clear lost all sanity he had. This only made things more difficult. With his target in sight, Broly dived at the hedgehog; the ground collapsed beneath his feet. Despite the muscular mass, Broly had not lost any of his former speed; he actually seemed faster. Broly slammed his arm across Dark Sonic neck and sent him flying across the coliseum. Before the hedgehog even had a chance to touch ground, Broly grabbed him by the shoulders and kicked him upwards. While still in midair, Broly somehow teleported and grabbed Dark Sonic by the head. Broly launched downward to the ground and slammed the hedgehog hard.

"Someone do something!" Amy screamed. "He's getting killed out there!"

"Sonic made the decision to fight alone." Goku said stoic. "We have to respect his wishes."

"But..."

"Amy." Angel interrupted. "We all believe in Sonic, why can't you."

Back in the fight, Broly lifted Dark Sonic off the ground, his frail body dangling.

"DIE!!" Broly screamed.

Broly finished off with a powerful uppercut. Dark Sonic could only be seen hovering over the ground and crashing without a sign of recognition. Dark Sonic was motionless, not even a gasp of breath escaped from him. Broly's enemy was finished, but the saiyan's thirst for blood was not quenched. He turned and noticed that Goku and the gang were still in the coliseum. Even if Broly had lost his mind, one fact remained the same: He hated Goku.

"KAKAROT!!" Broly roared.

Broly held out his hand in an attempt to summon another gigantic blast. Goku and the others tried to defend themselves, but it was found unnecessary. The shadows beneath Broly suddenly came to life and pinned the saiyan's arm to the ground. Just then, Dark Sonic flipped over and delivered a piercing blow to Broly's heart. With Sonic and the Keyblade at their most powerful, not even Broly could resist the sting. The legendary cried out in utter pain, feeling the stab of the blade. Using what strength he had, Broly ripped the shadows apart and pushed Dark Sonic away from him. Broly stood up, his chest bleeding, and glared with the utmost rage. When Dark Sonic thought he would attack, he was surprised when Broly floated high over the coliseum.

"Is he retreating?" Omega asked curiously.

"No, I've seen this before." Goku said worried. "He's building up for his most powerful attack."

"Not as long as I'm around." Dark Sonic growled.

"Sonic!" Amy screamed, but failed.

As Dark Sonic charged forward, Broly reeled back his hand and gathered the largest amount of energy he ever drew and compressed it into a small sphere. Broly tossed the attack forward, which Dark Sonic saw and raised the Oblivion as a defense. Unfortunately, during mid-flight, the small sphere grew to the size of Cooler's death ball. Dark Sonic was already starting to regret his decision, but held the Oblivion anyway. The colossal blast connected with the Oblivion, forcing Dark Sonic down to his knees. Broly was not pleased that his attack stopped, but decided to fix the problem. He hurled another small sphere, which added to the other blast and made it twice as large. Sonic was starting to collapse through the ground under the pressure of the attack.

"I...can't." Sonic strained.

"Do not give up, mate!" Marine yelled.

"You can do this!" Angel shouted.

"You just have to trust yourself!" Silver added.

Amy watched the trio with a surprised look. Dark Sonic was still clearly outmatched by the Legendary Super Saiyan, yet they still believed he could win. It wasn't long after that their cheers were joined by Metal, Emerl, Cream, Omega, Tikal, Goku, and Roshi. They could all see it; a saving light of hope. It was then Amy knew what she needed to do.

"I believe in you, Sonic!" Amy cried.

Not many knew what happened next, not even Dark Sonic. At Amy's yells, Dark Sonic felt compelled to left his left hand drift from the Oblivion; the right remained to hold back the attack. Al of a sudden, a second Keyblade was summoned to his hand: The Oathkeeper. Not knowing why, Dark Sonic pointed the Oathkeeper into the heart of the blast. The keychain glowed and a thin beam of light burst from the tip. The thin beam shot directly into the blast and, despite all odds, obliterated the saiyan's attack. Broly was caught off guard by this, which was his final mistake. The thin beam shot through the Legendary Super Saiyan's heart and tore his body apart in a burst of white light. With his enemy defeated, Dark Sonic reverted to his original form and the Oathkeeper vanished. Sonic started to topple over, but Amy caught him just in time. She smiled as she laid her hero across her lap.

"Did I win?" Sonic moaned.

"Yeah, you won." Amy whispered.

"Somehow, I just knew they would do it." Metal nodded.

"They?" Cream repeated.

"Sonic fought with all our hearts with him." Tikal explained. "It was Amy's confidence that gave him that final feat of strength he needed." She pulled out Chaos' note and held it to her heart. "Those we love are never truly leave us."

The dark cloud parted, letting in the sun shine on Budokai. The people that were tossed out of the coliseum and jumped with joy when they realized that Broly had met his ultimate end. The crowd tried to grab Sonic for a cheer, but his friends held them back, knowing the blue hedgehog wanted to rest. With Broly's end, Black Doom's council was finished. It was finally over.

Or was it?

* * *

**The Dragon Cup comes to a spectacular finish. Is the battle truely over? Do the Heartless still remain a threat to the worlds? And what has become of Mephiles? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	41. Dawn of Duskmon

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Forty: Dawn of Duskmon

It was two days after before the big news took the universe by storm: Sonic won the Dragon Cup! Shortly after his heroic display against Broly, the blue hedgehog was given his prize, a wish from the eternal dragon. Unfortunately, Sonic passed out the moment he was announced the winner. By the time Sonic woke up, he found himself in an unfamiliar room. He was nearly blinded by the lights reflecting off the white tiles.

"Where am I?" Sonic mumbled.

"It's about time you woke up." Sonic looked over and found Amy, Marine, Silver, Angel, and the Traverse Town gang. Metal sat next to him on the bed. "You've been in the hospital for two straight days."

"I kinda blacked out during the fight." Sonic groaned. "What happened?"

"You used that new keychain thingy and kicked the bad guys butt, mate!" Marine praised.

"That was the most amazing thing I've ever seen." Cream said sincerely. "I bet your even better than Metal."

"Ok, let's not go that far." Metal said sheepishly.

"Anyway, we're just happy that you're still alive." Tikal smiled.

"Espio knew what he was doing when he gave you this keychain." Silver said, gazing at the Oblivion Keychain in his hand. "I never imagined it possible to control the darkness in ones heart. If only Mephiles had known about this."

There was a moment of silence at the sound of Mephiles' name. It was the first time in a month that anyone had even uttered his existence. Sonic was hesitant, but took a glance to Amy to see her reaction. But to his surprise, she was smiling. Sonic's confusion was evident as she gazed back at him.

"It's all right, Sonic." Amy stated. "I know what needs to be done. My real father died before I was even born. That man is nothing more than a demon of the darkness. As the Keyblade Master, it's up to you to stop him."

"Wow, Amy, that was very insightful." Sonic smirked. "Did you get bumped on the head again?"

"Maybe a little." Amy giggled.

"What are we all standing around here for?!" Angel exclaimed. "Let's hurry up!"

"Hurry for what?" Sonic questioned.

"The wish!" Angel yelled impatiently.

"Stop worrying, Angel." Emerl said calmly. "Master Roshi gave us the Dragon Balls tom use whenever we want. And Goku even told us how to summon the dragon. So, there's really no need to rush."

Angel muttered something under her breath that is considered illegal in seven worlds. Once Sonic was permitted to leave the hospital, the team guided the blue hedgehog back to the stadium. Once they found a clear place for the ritual, everyone pulled out seven identical balls. They were all orange with a different number of red stars in the center. Once placed together, the seven Dragon Balls started to glow at a proper sequence.

"Well, let's get started." Sonic said eagerly.

"Right." Emerl nodded before chanting. "I summon you, the Eternal Dragon, Shenron!"

All of a sudden, the sky turned pitch-black and shards of lightning began to streak across the sky. The Dragon Balls hummed and ejected their own lightning into the sky. The heroes dazzled at the display as the lightning slithered across the clouds like a serpent to its prey. The lightning soon began to die down and a monstrous figure emerged. It was a gigantic green dragon with the horns of a deer, the body of a snake, and eyes as red as blood. This was the Eternal Dragon, Shenron.

"Who has disturbed my slumber?" Shenron echoed.

"Uh...I think he's talking to you, Sonic." Emerl said, cowering behind his father.

"What a brave soldier." Amy said sarcastically.

"Speak up!" Shenron demanded. "Make your wish, so that I may grant it."

"Uh...yeah." Sonic nodded. "Can you bring our friend, Storm, back to life? Please?"

"Very well, I understand." Shenron stated; his eyes glowing redder than usual. "Your wish has been granted. Farewell."

The mighty dragon was soon engulfed in a flash of light and drawn back to the Dragon Balls. Suddenly, the seven mystic balls shot into the sky and scattered into different directions. As the sky became clear once again, the heroes just stood there, gazing at the clouds, waiting for something to happen. One Hour later, they were still standing.

"Man, we go ripped off!" Silver yelled suddenly.

"I can't believe we went through all that trouble for nothing." Sonic pouted.

"Hey, guy!"

Everyone's heads shot up after hearing the familiar voice; it's been weeks since they last heard it. The first to turn was Angel and found that her closest friend, Storm the Albatross, was alive. Soon, everyone shared a moment of relief. But of all of them, Angel was to only one to jump into Storm's arms. Storm held the tiny experiment securely, allowing her to cry on his shoulder.

"I can't believe you back!" Angel cried happily.

"I can't believe it either." Storm said.

"HAHA! Yes!" Sonic cheered. "The wish came true!"

"Wish?" Storm repeated. "Wait! Does that mean you guys won?!"

"Yep." Marine nodded. "Sonic beat up that broccoli guy and saved the day!"

"It's Broly, Marine." Tikal said sweetly.

"I don't know." Cream smirked. "He was just as bad."

At that comment, everyone lost themselves in laughter; Sonic had never been any happier than he was now. Here he was, with all his friends, locked in fits of hilarity. It reminded him of the days when he, Espio, and Amy would play on the beach and laugh the day off. Sonic hoped that this day would never end. Unfortunately, we don't always get what we want.

"Sonic?"

Everyone stopped laughing and turned to the sound of the voice. They were surprised to find that Salla, the dragon nanny, and all ninety-nine newborn dragons were crowded together; Ember didn't appear to be with them. Feeling the presence of the dragons, Marine and Angel were forced into a purple stone as Spyro appeared before the group.

"Salla, what happened?" Spyro asked worried. "Why are you here?"

"It was terrible." Salla said frightfully. "Those Heartless creatures came to Traverse Town and were destroying everything. Ember used all her powers to take us away from that horrid place. We left just in time to see the town being destroyed."

"What?!" Everyone exclaimed.

"The Heartless destroyed Traverse Town?" Sonic asked terribly. "But how? I sealed the keyhole to that world."

"I don't know." Salla shook. "All I remember seeing was a man in a silver coat flying away with a large emerald."

"That must be Mephiles." Silver stated. "That large emerald must have been the Master Emerald."

"Of course, it makes sense." Tikal nodded. "The Master Emerald is the only thing powerful enough to unseal a keyhole."

"I can't believe we forgot to bring it back with us." Metal said angrily.

"Salla, where's Ember?" Spyro asked, noticing the pink dragon's absence.

"She left us here, saying she needed to go to Hollow Bastion." Salla explained. "She said something evil was going on there. It wasn't that evil man, but something just as powerful."

"We've got to go save her!" Spyro proclaimed. "Who knows what kind of danger she's in?"

"Right, our next stop is Hollow Bastion." Sonic nodded, looking to Storm. "Are you ready, buddy?"

"Always!" Storm grinned.

* * *

At the Gears, Storm was reintroduced to his Extreme Gear, Hurricane. Storm cuddled it fondly, earning a few strange stares from the group. Metal and the others decided to stay back for a while, giving Sonic room to fight. After going their separate ways, the five heroes mounted their Gears; Angel sat on Storm's shoulders, and accessed the Warp Gear. Within minutes, the team was within reach of Hollow Bastion. They stopped near the castle doors and met with a happy surprise upon entering.

"Hey, guys!"

"Naruto!" Sonic shouted happily.

Naruto, bearing his usual grin, stepped up to the group. It appeared he was training, judging by the number of injured clones behind him. Seeing this, Naruto dismissed the jutsu and turned back to the heroes.

"Hey, Naruto, what are you doing here?" Storm asked curiously.

"Sakura said she needed to come back." Naruto stated. "She said something terrible was happening here. I could let her go alone, so I asked the fuzz ball if I could use some chakra to find her. I saw Zelda and that pink dragon earlier, so I guess the other princesses are coming, too"

"Where are the princesses?" Silver asked seriously.

"I think they're waiting at the chapel." Naruto said. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a crystal with compressed wind inside. "That Zelda gave me this in case you decided to come and help."

"That Zelda, always thinking." Sonic grinned.

"What are we waiting for, mates?!" Marine yelled. "Let's get moving!"

The raccoon was a little overeager and grabbed the green crystal before anyone had a chance to prepare. Once a gale of green wind began to pick up, the others quickly grabbed each other so they wouldn't be separated. Their vision was temporarily screened by a green wind, but it slowly started to die down. When their vision came into focus, they found themselves in the chapel. Not only were Sakura, Ember, and Zelda there, but also Keira, Katara, and Rui. But what they also found was not pleasant. Standing at the end of the chapel was a portal of darkness similar to the one Black Doom created, only more evil.

"It's about time you made it!" Keira scolded.

"Sorry about her." Katara apologized. "She's a little impatient."

"A little?" Silver smirked.

"Zelda, Rui, why aren't you back at your worlds?" Sonic asked. "Link and Wes must be worried about you."

"We can't go back yet." Zelda stated. "Not until we know Mephiles and the Heartless are defeated."

"But right now, we have bigger problems." Rui said, pointing to the dark portal. "A portal of darkness appeared out of nowhere. It's nothing at all like the darkness Black Doom used."

"We could feel the darkness flowing from the farthest reaches of the universe." Sakura said. "It feels as if it called to us."

"I'm not sure it is darkness." Ember said.

"What do you mean?" Angel questioned.

"The darkness has never been this powerful before." Ember explained. "The only time I ever felt this kind of power was in the presence of Mephiles. I am certain that he's not in this world, but something just as evil is beyond that portal."

"I want to go home now." Storm said cowardly.

"Whatever power this is, we cannot suppress it for long." Zelda stated, turning to the heroes. "Please help us, Keyblade Master. Find what is causing this great evil and stop it before the darkness spreads."

"Just leave it to us, mates!" Marine shouted.

"She seriously needs a muzzle." Naruto whispered to Sonic.

The blue hedgehog merely shook his head and walked through the dark portal. Naruto, Silver, and Marine followed shortly after; Angel was dragging Storm by her antenna. The six princesses looked concerned, but knew they could do nothing but pray.

* * *

When our heroes exited the portal, they found themselves in the same circular room where they defeated Devil Doom. The room looked the same as last time, minus the branches of black thorns. The group of six split up and searched every crevice of the large room. The looked high and low for any signs of darkness, but found nothing. After an hour of searching, they gathered together with disappointed expressions.

"Did ya find anything?" Sonic asked.

"Not a trace." Angel shook.

"Not even my Shadow Clones could find anything." Naruto stated.

"Do you think they made a mistake?" Angel asked.

"Six princesses feeling the same trace of evil." Silver said thoughtfully. "It can't just be pure coincidence."

"Then where is everybody?" Marine asked innocently.

The group of six bowed there heads and tried to figure out what they missed; Storm was thinking about meatballs. All of a sudden, a crackling sound entered Sonic's range of hearing. Suddenly, everyone could see a blue sphere of electricity flying towards Marine. In reaction to this, Sonic summoned the Oblivion and blocked the shot. The force of the attack nearly knocked Sonic off his feet, but managed to push it away towards the roof.

"Where did that come from?" Storm asked.

"I think I have an idea." Silver glared.

When the group of heroes looked back, they found that they were surrounded by twelve shrouded figures. They came in a variety of sizes and all wore the same attire: A long black coat, black gloves and boots, and a silver chain close to the hood. Almost all the figures had their hoods up, making it impossible to see their faces, but few had distinct differences between them. One of them did not wear boots or gloves, revealing his claws and red fur, another had two large black skulls around his hands, and one of them towered over all others. Pain was amongst the group, his hood dropped, but Sonic's team did not recognize him. The one across Sonic was the second smallest of the group, but the power radiating from his body clearly meant he was the most powerful.

"Who are you guys?" Naruto growled.

"So...The Keyblade Master has appeared to us at last." The Leader said.

"What's that sounds familiar." Angel stated. "Mephiles?"

"Mephiles..." The Leader muttered thoughtfully. "Now that is a sound that seems familiar."

"This hedgehog." The gloveless member said. "He looks just like him."

"Like who?" Sonic questioned. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"It means you are not complete." The largest, a female, said.

"Complete?" Naruto repeated.

"Incomplete one..." The Leader spoke. "Your power...allow us to test your power."

"If you want to get to my best mate, you'll have to go through me." Marine glared.

"That goes for all of us." Silver said; the group gathered together.

"Then you shall all be tested." The Leader said. "No. 12, I shall entrusted them to you."

"As you wish, Superior." The black-skulled member bowed.

The Leader nodded and faded into a portal of darkness, followed by the other ten members. The remaining member turned to the group, just as Sonic summoned the Oblivion to his hands. The hooded man made no significant gesture at the Keyblade's appearance, but merely moved his skulled hands to reach for his hood and pulled it down. His face was covered in a black helmet with three red jewels stamped in the center. He had blond hair creeping from the back and piercing red eyes between the holes.

"And who are you supposed to be?" Storm questioned.

"I have forgotten my true name long ago." The man said. "I can only exist with the name that was given to me: Duskmon.

"Well, whoever you are, you're going down." Naruto glared, forming a hand sign. "Shadow clone jutsu!!"

An explosion of cloud erupted around Naruto and over a hundred clones appeared around him. They each drew a kunai from their pouch and charged head-on at the dark soldier. As the Naruto horde jumped at him, a flash of red streaked across air; half the clones evaporated a moment after. The real Naruto was surprised when he saw a red blade protruding from both the skulls on his hands. Not giving him a chance to react, Duskmon charged past the clone army, destroying them in his wake, and halted in front of the real Naruto. While Naruto tried to stab him with a kunai, Duskmon blocked it with one blade, swung around, and cut across Naruto's chest with the other. Naruto was thrown against the wall and knocked unconscious.

"Naruto!" Angel cried.

"Such pathetic power." Duskmon muttered. "I guess Pein was wrong to warn me of him."

"You're going to pay for that one." Storm steamed.

Duskmon barely looked over his shoulder before Storm's fist slammed into his face. Duskmon's stance was strong, but Storm's brute strength was enough to knock him off his feet. Seeing this opportunity, Angel slid under Duskmon, grabbing his legs with her antenna. On the ground, Duskmon would be an unmovable wall, but it the air, he was a light as paper. Angel twirled her antenna in circles, sending Duskmon in a whirlwind frenzy. When she let go, the dark soldier was sent flying towards Storm, who had a large baseball bat for some reason. Storm swung around and swatted Duskmon in the neck, sending him to the roof, whom proceeded to fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"A mean double team!" Storm exclaimed, clapping Angel's shoulder.

"I really missed fighting by your side." Angel smiled.

"Your tactics focus on close range and brute strength." Angel and Storm gasped as Duskmon slowly got back on his feet; not a scratch on him. "But fortunately, I have fought against such savagery before. You stand no chance against me."

"Oh yeah!" Storm shouted. "We'll just see..."

Storm was abruptly cut off when Duskmon suddenly appeared in front of him and swatted him across the head his skull hand. Storm was thrown off balance, but managed to stay conscious. Unfortunately, that didn't last long. When Storm planted his feet to the ground, Duskmon elbowed him in the chest, knocking the wind out of him. As Storm fell to the ground, Angel growled furiously and dived at the dark soldier from behind. Duskmon somehow saw the attack as he swerved around and cut Angel in the chest. Being an experiment, her life was not in any present danger.

"They are not as impressive as I had hoped." Duskmon sighed.

"Got him, mate!" Marine shouted.

"CHAOS SPEAR!!" Silver shouted.

Duskmon looked around and saw two green orbs coming from the left and twenty light arrows coming from the right. Duskmon cut across the orbs with his blades and jumped away as the arrows hit the ground. The dark soldier back-flipped in the air and landed just in time to see Marine and Silver making a run for him. Silver manipulated the water from his pouch and, to Duskmon's surprise, splashed it across the ground between the two of them. While Duskmon paid no attention to the water, Silver secretly froze the water beneath them.

"It's all yours, Marine." Silver smirked.

"Bonzai!" Marine cheered happily.

Before Duskmon realized it, Marine slid under Silver's legs and across the frozen water below. In a split second, Marine was beneath Duskmon and shot two green orbs from her palms at close range. In reaction to this, Duskmon brought his arms up to protect himself. Surprisingly, the green orbs bounced off the black skulls and exploded in the rooftop; it's amazing that it hasn't collapsed yet.

"That's not good." Marine muttered.

"It's only about to get worse." Duskmon uttered.

Duskmon brought his arms up, blades together, and swung them down on the raccoon child. Because of the ice under her, Marine only slipped in place in an attempt to run. Just as Duskmon swung his blades down, Silver jumped in front, forming a barrier from thought alone. Duskmon was strong and Silver's barrier may have been able to block one blade, not two. The barrier shattered on contact with the red blades, allowing the dark soldier to cut across Silver's chest. Silver withered in pain and Marine tried to come to his defense, but Duskmon cut across her wrists, rendering them numb. Duskmon kicked Silver's body, sending him and Marine sliding across the floor to the wall.

"Is this truly the best you can do?" Duskmon questioned sadly. He suddenly swung around and raised his blade to block Sonic's Oblivion Keyblade. "Now will be my chance to see the power of the Keyblade Master."

"Just what do you guys want with me?" Sonic glared, pushing against the Oblivion.

"Those eyes..." Duskmon muttered. "Those are the same eyes he always looked at me with."

"Who are you talking about?" Sonic questioned irritantly.

Duskmon refused to answer, merely swiping away Sonic's Keyblade. The dark soldier swung around with his second blade, but Sonic called the shadows to reach and grasp the red sword. Sonic flipped away just as Duskmon broke free from the shadows. Duskmon recalled his blades and held out his skull hands in the direction of the blue hedgehog. All of a sudden, red energy began to form into the mouths of the skulls. Duskmon released the energy from the skulls into the form of two powerful red beams. Acting fast, Sonic raised the Oblivion to his defense. The Keyblade was strong enough to hold back the attack and reflected it away from its master.

"I am impressed by your accomplishments." Duskmon complimented. "But you are still nothing compared to him."

"I still don't know who you are talking about." Sonic said, reaching into his quills. "but right now is not the best time to think about this." He pulled out a red stone. "I never thought I'd say this, but I need you, Dorumon!"

Sonic tossed the red stone into the air, sucking the essence of Silver and Angel, and called down a familiar purple fox-dinosaur thing.

"I knew you would be crawling back to ol' Dorumon." Dorumon grinned.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Sonic said feebly. "Just help me out against this guy, ok."

"Can do, good buddy." Dorumon said heroically. "As the ultimate savior of the Digital World, I, Dorumon the Great, shall take any evil that comes my way." Dorumon continued to boost his ego, much to Sonic's annoyance, until Duskmon was standing over him. At the sight of the dark soldier, Dorumon started shaking and screamed. "AH! Duskmon!"

"You now him?" Sonic asked uncertainly.

"He's one of the Legendary Warriors back in my world!" Dorumon exclaimed. "Look, I'd like to help as much as the next guy, but I can't fight a Legendary Warrior. I'm out of here, kid."

"Dorumon!" Sonic cried, but he had already jumped out the window. "Well, that went better than expected."

"How unfortunate." Duskmon said darkly. "A warrior abandoned by his friends. I guess the Keyblade made a grievous error in choosing you. You are not even half the hero your father was."

"It's not over yet." Sonic said, holding the Oblivion forward. "I may not have my friend's help, but they are still fighting with me. As long as they believe in me, I can't lose."

"If I had a heart, this would be the part where I die of laughter." Duskmon stated oddly.

"Huh?" Sonic questioned.

In Sonic's moment of confusion, Duskmon extracted his red blades and dived at the blue hedgehog. Sonic was lucky to block the first blade on the reaction, but was unfortunate when the second came swing from the side. Acting fast, Sonic stamped his foot to the ground, creating a wall of rock between him and the blade. Seeing this, Duskmon bounced his blade off the rock and twirled in the opposite direction. Sonic had no chance to block this time and was cut deeply across the chest. Sonic staggered back, panting hoarsely, and clutched his chest. Though Duskmon thought he had delivered the finishing blow, he noticed a green aura emitting around his palm. Without even realizing it, Sonic had performed the same healing powers he used that resurrected Marine.

"I really need to learn that move." Sonic said.

"You powers do not cease to amaze me." Duskmon glared. "I can't allow such a thing to continue living."

"Whoa, hold up!" Sonic cried frantically. "I thought this was a test!"

"What the superior doesn't know won't hurt him." Duskmon said evilly.

Duskmon swiped his blade forward and charged at the blue hedgehog, aiming for the neckline. Sonic was caught off guard by Duskmon's statement, leaving him wide open for attack. Duskmon's blade was about to connect until...

"METAL CANNON!!"

All of a sudden, a metal cannonball flew out of nowhere and connected to Duskmon's blade, shattering it to pieces. Duskmon stared it horror as his blade broke and glared in the direction the cannonball came from. Before he knew it, Dorumon dived in and headbutted the dark soldier in the stomach, sending his sliding back a few feet. Duskmon clutched his stomach in pain as Dorumon landed by Sonic's side.

"Hey, I thought you left." Sonic said inquisitively.

"I thought about it and it was wrong for me to leave." Dorumon said earnestly. "If I'm going to be the hero I want to be, I need to learn that I should never abandon my friends." Dorumon holds out his hand. "Let's finish this together."

"You got it, bro." Sonic smirked.

"You'll die!" Duskmon yelled furiously. "You will seriously die!!"

"Talk to the foot, pal!" Dorumon shouted.

Duskmon didn't realize it at the time, but Sonic tossed Dorumon by his tail and launched him at the dark soldier. Dorumon landed and kicked off of Duskmon's face, just before he had a chance to grab the creature. While in the air, Dorumon fired another cannonball from his mouth, but Duskmon sliced it with his remaining blade. What he didn't know was that it was a distraction so that Sonic could move in closer. By the time Duskmon figured it out, Sonic was already crouched low beneath him. Duskmon made a desperate attempt to use his last sword, but Dorumon shot a cannonball to the blades side, shattering it like its brother. With no way to defend himself, Sonic swung the Oblivion vertically at Duskmon's head. The dark soldier managed to bend backwards enough to avoid being hit in the face, but one of his red gems was cut wide open, leaving a deep crack in the middle. Duskmon flew backwards, clutching his head, as Sonic' revived friends surrounded him. Dorumon's time was up and returned to the stone, releasing Silver and Angel from it's confines.

"Truly fascinating..." Duskmon panted, chuckling slightly. "This is going to be fun."

"You're bluffing." Naruto stated. "You're beat. We have you outnumbered and over powered."

"There is so very much to learn..." Duskmon said, laughing harder. "And yet you understand so little."

"What?" Sonic gasped, remembering Mephiles once saying the same thing. "What are you talking about?"

"In your current sate, you cannot possibly hope to understand." Duskmon said, laughing insanely.

"Are you trying to say we're dumb?" Storm growled.

"Knowing you, that's not hard." Silver joked.

"In any case, there will be a time when we will meet again." Duskmon said, suddenly calm. He looked to Sonic with an expression of eagerness. "And I hope to see you again soon. One day, I will be the one to kill you and your father."

"What are you talking about?" Sonic growled, angry that he wouldn't mention Zoan. "My father's dead."

"You mean you don't know?" Duskmon shook his head. "Zoan is still alive."

Sonic's eyes shot wide at this new revelation. The others stepped forward to attack, but Duskmon was suddenly engulfed in a portal of darkness. As he slowly disappeared into the darkness, Sonic asked one final question.

"Just who are you guys?"

"We are merely..." Duskmon said slowly. "...Empty shells."

And with that, Duskmon was gone. Naruto punched the wall, angry that he let Duskmon escape, but the others looked sympathetically to Sonic. Now realizing that his father was alive, Sonic would surely try to find him. But will it be worth it? If Zoan truly cared, wouldn't he have returned to his only son? Felling Sonic's grief, Marine walked up and hugged him. It took a while, but Sonic returned the embrace, relieving all his emotions. This was the start of a new journey.

* * *

Far away from Hollow Bastion was a world unlike any other. It was a dark beach with water pure as the light that reflected from the eternal moon. There were several rock structures that were forged from solid darkness and all light was blocked from the view. Sitting on a rock at the edge of the water was another member of the mysterious group, The Superior. He appeared to be waiting for something, but the wait was over. A portal of darkness appeared near a rock surface and another black coat figure appeared. Unlike the others, this had not appeared during the contact with Sonic. He walked across the dark sand, alerting The Superior of his appearance.

"You have arrived." The Superior acknowledged; the figure moved closer. "I've been to see him. He look's a lot like you."

"Who are you?" The figure asked.

"I'm all that's left." The Superior stated. "Or maybe, I'm all there ever was."

"I meant you name." The figure said impatiently.

"My name is of no importance." The Superior claimed. "But what about you? Do you remember you true name?"

"My true name...is..."

* * *

**New secrets and new revalations are revealed. Who is this new group of strangers? What is there reason for attacking Sonic? And is Zoan truly alive? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic version!**

**please, read and reveiw.**


	42. The Final Light, Part 1

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Forty-One: The final Light, Part 1

The heroes were just returning from the battle against Duskmon. With the new enemies found and more secrets revealed, Sonic was more lost than he had ever been. Was Duskmon telling the truth about his father? Or was it just a lie to deceive him? But he did not have time to think about those questions before he realized the princesses had gathered around them.

"Are you all right?" Sakura asked worried.

"I'm fine." Naruto grinned. "It'll take a lot more than that to beat the next Hokage."

"I wasn't talking to you, idiot!" Sakura snapped; Naruto wimpered.

"Just a few scratches." Storm said confidently. "But besides that, we're A-OK."

"Well, that's good." Rui sighed.

"Once we have time to get our strength back, we'll go and find Mephiles." Sonic concluded eagerly. "I've been waiting for a chance to get back at him. He'll pay for what he did to Amy and her mother."

"Unfortunately, you won't have enough time to rest." Zelda said seriously.

"Medieval princess say what?" Angel whined.

"Mephiles has appeared again." Keira stated. "But this time, the darkness has spiked to a new level."

"It's amazing that we didn't spot it earlier." Katara said. "For so much darkness to appear out of nowhere seems impossible."

"Salla did say that Mephiles took the Master Emerald." Silver said thoughtfully. "Mephiles must have used the emerald's power to cloak whatever world he's on now."

"Then what are we waiting for, mates?!" Marine shouted anxiously. "Let's go show that creepy dark guy not to mess with Captain Marine the Raccoon and her crew!"

"You're not our captain!" Everyone yelled simultaneously.

"Wow, tough room." Marine commented.

"It's not going to be an easy fight." Ember said worried. "Mephiles is probably expecting you and has gone to great measures to protect himself."

"He's most likely gathered the strongest and most powerful forces in the universe as a defense." Sakura said seriously. "It will be like going into an impenetrable fortress."

"Hey, no worries." Sonic grinned. "With a team like this, we can't lose."

"Too bad I can't come with you guys." Naruto smirked. "You could use a guy like me."

"Sorry, one loud-mouth is enough." Silver joked.

"Hey!!" Naruto and Marine exclaimed.

"Take this with you, too." Keira said, handing him a red sack.

"What is it?" Sonic asked, listening to the contents rattling inside.

"Something to help you in case you ever get into trouble." Katara responded.

"Be careful, Sonic." Zelda warned. "Once you go through, they'll be no turning back. It will either be victory or oblivion."

"So, you ready for this, Sonic?" Rui asked.

This was the day Sonic had been preparing for since the Keyblade chose him. Black Doom, Espio, and Duskmon were all just practice for this final match. Any warrior would have been intimidated by the task ahead, but with his friends by his side, Sonic knew he was ready for anything. After saying their final good-byes, the heroes took off on the Extreme Gears into the farthest depths of the universe. As they departed, they flew past a large ship passed by headed towards Hollow Bastion.

"Wasn't that Omega's ship?" Angel asked.

"So they finally decided to show up." Storm groaned, rubbing his beak. "Why couldn't they have done it earlier?"

"I wonder if we'll ever see them again." Sonic said sadly.

"Cheer up, mate." Marine said brightly. "I'm sure we'll all see them after we beat the bad guy."

Sonic's friends had not heard the conversation between him and Metal, meaning they didn't realize the situation. Once Mephiles was defeated, the barriers between the worlds would be restored, separating them. Sonic knew Silver, Storm, and Marine would go back to their world and Angel would go back with Stitch. But where would he go? If the worlds were restored he would have to either go back to Hollow Bastion or Destiny Islands. Either choice was impossible; it would separate him from either Espio or Amy. What would happen to him if he didn't make the right choice?

"Sonic, wake up!" Silver shouted.

"Huh? Wha?" Sonic asked confused. "What happened?"

"You spaced out." Angel stated. "We've been trying to snap you out of it."

"Why? What's wrong?" Sonic asked.

"That, mate." Marine pointed.

Sonic followed Marine's view and gasped at the sight before him. It was the biggest world Sonic had ever seen and also the most horrific. It resembled forged pieces of different lands all covered by a gigantic purple sphere and surround by blue rings of fragmented worlds. In one of the fragments of the rings, Sonic could have sworn he saw the tree house from Destiny Island.

"Is this the place?" Sonic asked fearfully.

"No doubt about it." Storm glared. "He's defiantly here."

"Sonic, are you sure your up for this?" Angel asked worried.

"We don't have a choice." Sonic said. "The universe is counting on us. We need to put and end to it once and for all."

Seeing Sonic's point of view, the other heroes nodded and followed him down to the surface of the final world.

* * *

--**End of the World--**

The Sonic Team landed in a cave, where they placed the Gear safely, and stepped out into the open. They were greeted with an unbelievable sight. The ground of the world was made from a sea of darkness and fractured pieces of land scattered throughout the world. On the other side of the dark sea, a large sphere of purple energy could be seen between a small series of pillars. The heroes were weary of walking across the sea, but Marine was too rambunctious for her own good. She jumped into the dark sea, only to find that it was solid as earth.

"Ow." Marine winced. "Is this it, mates? Is that all that's left from the worlds destroyed by the Heartless?"

"It would appear so." Silver said. "I defiantly can feel an endless streak of darkness. This is defiantly a Heartless world."

"Those worlds will be restored once we be Mephiles, right?" Sonic asked; Silver nodded. "But if we do beat him and all the worlds become restored and disconnect, what will happen to this place? What's going to happen to us?"

This forced the group into a serious thinking session. They had never imagined what life would be like once the worlds were separated again. They had often dreamed they would travel the worlds forever. But some dreams never come true.

"Well, this is the Heartless world." Storm stated. "So maybe it'll just disappear."

"Say what?" Sonic questioned.

"This is amazing." Silver smirked. "Storm has become much smarter recently. "He looked to Marine. "Think he got bumped in the head when he died?"

"Well, I'm not worried." Angel said cheerfully. "Even if this world disappears, we're not going anywhere. I just know we'll see Metal and the others again soon. I bet they're waiting for us back at Hollow Bastion."

"Yeah, your right." Sonic nodded.

Already knowing his team was assured, Sonic felt better about facing the darkness. He reached into his quills and pulled out two keychains: Oathkeeper and Oblivion. Each one represented his connection to Amy and Espio. One held a promise to find his friend and one held a promise to return safely.

"_Amy, Espio, I'll be waiting for you._" Sonic thought. "_I promise._"

"Let's go." Silver said seriously.

The group nodded and took its first step into the darkness. Sonic had summoned the Oblivion to his hand in anticipation for any of Mephiles' tricks. So far they had made it halfway across the sea and had not seen a single Heartless, but that only made the heroes even more restless. Twice, Marine shot her orbs at something she thought was a Heartless, but turned out only to be a piece of land. Storm was even more nervous than usual and Silver looked scared for the first time. The only one who didn't seem troubled was Angel, who was starring into the dark sky. After several minutes of walking, they group was only a few feet from the gigantic purple sphere and not a sign of trouble to be found. Sonic set the Oblivion on his shoulders and stared into the sky out of curiosity; he wondered what Angel was looking at.

"Something is seriously wrong here." Silver stated.

"Yeah, why haven't we been attacked yet?" Storm questioned. "They had plenty of chances to sneak up on us."

"Maybe they're on a lunch break." Marine said optimistically.

"Marine, do you even know half the stuff that comes out of your mouth?" Silver groaned.

"Nope." Marine said cheerfully.

Silver and Storm slapped themselves in regret; Marine has that effect on people. Sonic was looking back and forth between Angel and the sky, still pondering what was attracting her so much.

"What are you looking at, Angel?" Sonic asked.

"I can feel it." Angel muttered. "It's coming."

"What's coming?" Sonic asked cautiously.

"The darkness." Angel replied.

Just as Angel uttered those words, the purple sphere expanded, spreading its darkness around the entire sea. Silver, Storm, and Marine were engulfed by the darkness, shortly followed by Sonic and Angel. The sensation of the core was cold and expressionless; it felt as if all hope had fade from the world. Sonic finally woke up. He sat up and looked around for his friends to make sure they were safe. Similar to him, they were all waking up and slowly moving back to their feet.

"Whoa, that was weird." Storm shook. "Everyone all right."

"I think everyone's fine." Silver said, gazing around the field. "Where are we?"

"I think we're inside the big purple thing, mates." Marine said.

"Then we have to find a way out." Sonic said hurriedly. "Mephiles is defiantly expecting us and is probably sending someone after us."

"Too late, they're already here." Angel said shakily.

Sonic looked down at her for a moment before looking back. Unexpectedly, the heroes were once again faced against the powerhouse known as the Behemoth. It roared in booming fury, ready for a quick a severe stomping.

"This guy again?" Storm groaned. "Didn't we already beat him?"

"Hey, we know his weak spot." Sonic added. "We'll beat him, no problem."

Just then, the Behemoth roared from left to right, seemingly calling something. A moment later, two new variety of Heartless entered through the dark walls. One type reminded Sonic of the Darkside he fought on Destiny Island. It was human shaped with structured horns, bladed tails, and broad sword: The Invisible. The second was resembled a large glass case with a yellow stringed head and four bright angel wings: Angel Stars. They took their places at the Behemoth's side and gazed down at the heroes with darkened expressions. Silver, Marine, Angel, and Storm glared at Sonic.

"You were saying?" Angel sneered.

"How was I supposed to know he would do that?!" Sonic exclaimed.

"Heads up, mates!" Marine shouted.

One of the Invisible's detached itself from the pack and slashed downwards on the group. Reacting fast, Sonic called forth his Oblivion again and stopped the attack. But the Heartless was strong, forcing the warrior hedgehog to his knees. Marine stepped aside and aimed her powers to the Heartless, but an Angel Star jumped in front with its wings covering its body. The wings proved to be an effective shield as it did not seem to phase the creature. As the Angel Star removed its wings, Silver took this opportunity to jump in front of it and launch a massive fireball from his mouth. Unfortunately, the Angel Star formed a ball of light to repel the fireball away and fly directly to Silver's chest. The attack nearly made contact, but Marine countered with one of her own orbs to diminish the attack.

"That was close." Silver panted. "Thanks, Marine."

"No problem, mate." Marine smiled.

"Glad to see your fine." Sonic said, dodging another Invisible. "But a little help would be appreciated!"

"Hey, we got our hands full, too!" Storm shouted.

Angel grabbed Storm by the foot and pulled him away before the Behemoth could stomp the life out of him. The massive beast roared in irritancy and jumped over the two for a full body slam. Even Angel was not fast enough to avoid something at large. Thought it seemed stupid, Storm planted his feet firmly on the ground and held out his palms to the beast. Surprisingly enough, Storm's unusual strength was enough to keep the beast from touching the ground. Taking the chance, Angel crawled around the Behemoth's body towards its horn. Thought it tried to shake her off, Angel remained vigilant and reached the horn to snap it in half. The Behemoth roared in despair before vanishing back to the darkness; Storm caught Angel as she fell.

"Nice catch." Angel complimented.

"I ain't Captain of the Guard for nothing." Storm said proudly.

"Hey, how come I can't be captain?!" Marine whined.

"Guys, I could really use some help here!" Sonic screamed, dodging another Invisible.

Storm and Angel moved to help Sonic, but an Angel Star shot a blast to block them off. Silver used his telepathic powers to fly over the flock of flying Heartless and attack them with a storm of lightning. But no matter how hard he tried, the attacks just wouldn't phase the wings. Every so often, the Angel Stars would unfold their wings to shoot off a blast of light from their chests. While Silver was thinking, he didn't realize that an Angel Star was prepared to shoot him down until it was in his face. The Angel Star was ready to fire, but a green orb suddenly went through its chest and dissolved the evil creature away. Silver looked down and saw Marine holding out her glowing palm.

"Great save, Marine!" Silver called down.

"Thanks, mate!" Marine called back.

"You know, that gives me an idea." Silver said confidently.

Suddenly, Silver dropped down in the center of the swarm. The Angel Stars unfolded their wings out of reaction and formed the same light blast as its brothers. Silver smirked as the Angel Stars released all their blasts in one single motion. As the blasts came closer, Silver reactivated his psychic powers and levitated into the air, watching the blasts head for one another. The Angel Stars folded their wings, but the own blast seemed to be the only thing they could repel. The blast obliterated each and every one of the Heartless, allowing Silver to land beside Marine safely.

"Nice job, mate." Marine said happily.

"I couldn't have done it without you, Marine." Silver grinned.

"I could really – oh, forget it!" Sonic yelled furiously.

Sonic swung the Oblivion around to push away another Invisible and kick it across the face. With five Invisible's surrounding him, things did not look good for our hero. As four of the Invisible's dived straight at him, one tossed down it's sword and faded into the darkness. The Invisibles stabbed at the same time, but Sonic flipped over the attack and landed on the pile of swords. The Invisible tugged at their swords, but Sonic wouldn't allow them the chance to move. Using this opportunity, Sonic swung the Oblivion and cut across the Heartless in their faces. As the Invisible vanished away, Sonic suddenly took notice to a flame black ring surrounding him. Sonic quickly jumped into the air before the fire ring closed around his body. While in midair, Sonic noticed the Invisible reforming around his sword. Realizing this, Sonic curled into a ball and performed his Spin Dash technique. The Invisible reformed at tried to reach its sword, but Sonic slammed into its chest, effectively destroying it. As Sonic uncurled, the rest of the team gathered around him to make sure he was safe.

"Thanks for the help, guys." Sonic said sarcastically.

"No problem, mate." Marine said cheerfully.

"Always glad to help." Angel smirked.

Sonic growled in frustration and tried to attack them; Storm pinned him under his fa...I mean, big body. All of a sudden, a bright light engulfed the area, blinding our heroes.

* * *

When their senses returned, they found themselves in an entirely new area. Storm moved off of Sonic to allow him to see the new area. They were at the top of a mountainous region with an assortment of gems exposed from the mountain side.

"Where are we now?" Storm asked.

"Closer to the darkness, that's for sure." Silver stated.

"Where do you think that Mephiles guy is?" Marine asked curiously.

"Dive into the most dangerous place and we'll find him." Angel said wisely. "Its that latest in villain headquarters."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic grinned. "Let's hurry up and find the guy."

Setting their goal in mind, the heroes cautiously climbed their way down the cavernous mountain. Often, there were times when the gem covered walls would nearly cause them their death. One time, Sonic slipped off a rather large sapphire and nearly fell to his doom until Storm caught him by his quills. After several minutes of careful climbing, the heroes found themselves on the white platform near the bottom of the crevice. Just below them, they could see a portal of red light forming out of the ground. Dark Sonic stirred inside Sonic's mind; something about the portal troubled him.

"What is that?" Angel asked before Sonic could.

"My master taught me about these." Silver said. "This is a memory portal. It's a gateway to the past where one's memory is most crucial. This was clearly set up by Mephiles."

"Wonder what kind of memory he would keep down here." Storm said aloud.

"Only one way to find out." Marine said, jumping into the portal. "Bonza!"

"Marine!!" The heroes screamed.

One-by-one, the others followed in her footsteps.

* * *

The trip through the tunnel was almost unbearable, but they made it in far enough to remain fit. When they landed, they found themselves in a long narrow hallway similar to those at Hollow Bastion. At the end of the hallway was a large Heartless emblem hanging from the wall.

"How'd we get back here, mate?" Marine asked curiously.

"This is a memory, Marine." Silver stated. "This is clearly the time when Mephiles ruled over Hollow Bastion."

"Hey, ya hear that." Sonic whispered.

Everyone turned quite and listened; there was noise coming from the side. They approached a small door near the side of the hallway and opened it cautiously to look inside. The room appeared to be some kind of laboratory that contained a strange machine with golden pipes attached. Inside, they could see a purple hedgehog wearing a white lab coat muttering to himself over a stone panel. The hedgehog walked over to the sidewall where he confronted a creature inside a glass container. Sonic was amazed how much the creature resembled a Neo Shadow, only it's color was red instead of black.

"_Is that a heartless?_" Sonic asked mentally.

"_That's not just any Heartless._" Dark Sonic responded. "_That's the Mother Heartless; the first Heartless._"

"That's Amy's mother." Sonic said aloud.

"Then that means that guy is Mephiles." Angel stated.

"I got him, mates!" Marine shouted. Before the others could warn her away, Marine charged into the room and jumped at Mephiles. But unexpectedly, Marine flew through Mephiles and slammed into the wall. "Ow, what happened, mate?"

"This is a memory, Marine." Silver informed. "Everything you see has already happened."

"Hey, I think he's saying something." Storm said.

"It won't be much longer, my love." Mephiles said. The heartless glared at the hedgehog and pounded at the glass. "Calm yourself, Lilly. I will find a way to restore you to your proper form."

"It's your fault I'm like this in the first place." The Heartless, surprisingly, spoke. "All for your cursed research."

"I am merely doing what is best for our home and our child." Mephiles said cautiously.

"You don't give a damn about Amy!" Lilly yelled. "If we had not made our agreement, you would change her to a deformed monster like you did me. I am the only one who truly cares for our daughter."

"I remember our agreement." Mephiles grimaced. "You promised to take part in my experiment, in exchange for not touching Amy. I have done just as you asked. Our daughter is safe and I will soon learn the secrets of the darkness."

"Where is Amy now?" Lilly questioned.

"Metal took here out to the town." Mephiles replied, walking back to the panel. "They will return momentarily." He hangs over the panel in fury. "I have to figure out the meaning of this tablet. I know it's the secret to controlling the darkness."

_Ones born of the heart and darkness, devoid of hearts, ravage all worlds and bring desolation.  
Seize all hearts and consummate the great heart. All hearts to be one, one heart to encompass all.  
Realize the destiny: the realm of Kingdom Hearts.  
The great darkness sealed within the great heart. Progeny of darkness, come back to the eternal darkness.  
For the heart of light shall unseal the path. Seven hearts, one Keyhole, one key to the door.  
The door of darkness, tied by two keys. The door of darkness to seal the light.  
None shall pass but shadows, returning to the darkness.  
Ones born of the heart and darkness, hunger for every heart until the dark door opens._

"The Heartless are the key." Mephiles said furiously, pounding his fist to the panel. "I will learn to control the Heartless for my own! And I shall find this 'destiny'. I will find Kingdom Hearts!"

"Then I fear for the worlds." Lilly said sadly.

The heroes, who were watching the memory play, remained silent during the entire conversation. Many things boggled their minds, yet some of them were received with answers. The seven hearts were the seven Chaos Emeralds and the key was the Master Emerald. But where was Kingdom Hearts? And where was Mephiles hiding?

"What now?" Marine asked unusually quite.

"I'm not sure." Sonic said lowly. "But I know we have to find Mephiles and stop him."

"Perhaps I can assist you." A familiar voice called.

"Mephiles!" Storm exclaimed.

"Where is he?!" Angel cried.

"For years, I have tried to decipher that tablet." Mephiles cackled. "And now, I have finally achieved it. With the power of the Master Emerald, Kingdom Hearts is within my grasp. But first, I must exterminate some pestilence."

"What do you plan to do?" Silver growled.

"You have reached my memory." Mephiles boomed. "I have allowed you too far into my domain. Prepare to meet with your final opponent. Your will face the destruction of a thousand worlds: Iblis, the Flames of Disaster!"

All of a sudden, the floor was engulfed in darkness. As the portal slowly dragged the heroes inside, Sonic could barely see a figure leaned from the door outside. He was a white hedgehog and he was carrying something; A Keyblade!

"Dad?" Sonic whispered.

And the darkness overtook him.

* * *

The portal dragged the heroes out in a wide open area where the only piece of land was a single active volcano. The five heroes fell at tremendous speeds into the volcano, closing it on the molten lava below. Acting fast, Sonic and Silver thrust their fists into the air, forming a large piece of rock for them to land on. Sonic and Silver landed safely on their feet, but Storm, Angel, and Marine were not as fortunate.

"Why is all the bad stuff happening to me?" Marine whined.

"Where are we?" Angel asked.

"Mephiles sent us here to fight something named Iblis." Sonic said, turning to Silver. "Ever heard of him."

"Only in legends, each of them more terrible than the last." Silver said. "Many legends speak of a monster forged from the flames of hatred created from people's hearts. Once it finds a world, it will drain the world of all life to fuel its power."

"Oh, that great." Angel said sarcastically. "So what happens next?"

All of a sudden, the entire volcano began rattling. The heroes were scared that the mountain was ready to blow, but they didn't realize it something much worse. Suddenly, great beast erupted from the center of the volcano and exposed itself to its victims. It was a humanoid beast composed of molten rock and lava, towering over the heroes and nearly the volcano itself.

"You had to ask, didn't you?" Storm groaned.

"Hey, how was I supposed to know he would show up?!" Angel snapped.

"Now you know how I feel." Sonic muttered.

"Keep your guard up." Silver warned. "Who knows what he is capable of?"

Iblis reeled back its head momentarily before hurling a massive wave of lava from it's mouth. Sonic and Silver quickly jetted their fists in opposite directions, forming a ring of platforms around the volcano walls. Sonic and Marine jumped to the left while Silver, Angel, and Storm jumped to the right. They watched as the platform they once stood melted back into the lava below.

"Oh, I think we have a good idea what he's capable of." Angel said sarcastically.

"Watch it, mates!" Marine yelled.

Storm, Angel, and Silver looked back to Iblis and found the lava beast throwing a two ton their way. Silver used his telekinesis to push Storm and Angel to the next platform while forming a barrier to protect himself. Silver was successful in keeping the boulder away, but that didn't mean anything when Iblis swung its claw at him. Immediately, Silver released the barrier and jumped away as Iblis broke the platform. The others thought Silver was gone until the Babylon mystic flew out from the cloud of dust. Silver manipulated the water from his pouch and snapped it at Iblis, but the heat from the atmosphere dissolved the water before it could even reach the lava beast.

"Well, that could have gone better." Silver commented.

Iblis extended its claw to reach out for him until a boulder suddenly collided with the beast's face. The impact forced Iblis to the volcano wall, nearly colliding with Marine and Sonic. As Silver looked over, he could see Storm loading another boulder into Angel's extended antenna.

"Number two loaded!" Storm shouted.

"Number Two fire!" Angel yelled, thrusting the boulder with her antenna. Iblis tried to get back up, but the beast was pushed back down by Angel's most recent assault. "Direct hit! Load me up, Storm!"

"Uh, we're out of rocks." Strom shrugged.

"How can we be out?!" Angel snapped. "We're inside an active volcano!"

"Storm, Angel, watch out!" Silver warned.

When the duo looked back, Iblis was over them with his claw coming down on them. Silver made a swift grab for Storm and Angel to bring them safely to another platform. As Iblis followed their movements, a sudden explosion erupted from its backside. The lava beast growled and turned to find Marine throwing an endless amount of green orb. Iblis raised its arms in defense and moved closer to the raccoon girl. Marine had a lot of energy, but when using magic, she was quickly running out of breath. Shortly, Marine started panting heavily and her arms were hurting to the point where she couldn't lift a finger. This was bad for the fact that Iblis was hanging over, looking ravenous. The great flame roared and snapped its jaw down on the platform. Luckily, Sonic used his wind magic to push Marine to another platform before she became lunch.

"Man, now I see why they call him the Flames of Disaster." Sonic said. "He's unstoppable."

"_No one is unstoppable._" Dark Sonic stated. "_You just got to look deep enough._"

"Then I guess this is your time to shine." Sonic grinned.

Sonic gripped the Oblivion and activated the keychain, transforming him to his Heartless form, Dark Sonic. The darkness radiating from Dark Sonic was clearly enough to attract Iblis' attention. It turned its head suddenly and released a tidal wave of lava from it's mouth. Dark Sonic was fearless as usual and held out the Oblivion to the center of the wave. In an amazing feat of power, Dark Sonic ported the lava wave in half. Unfortunately, the wave was only a distraction so Iblis could get up close and personal with the black hedgehog. Iblis thrust its fist into Dark Sonic, pinning him to the wall. Dark Sonic, easily more infuriated than his counterpart, raised the Oblivion and sliced the beast's hand off. Iblis roared in pain and stepped back as Sonic regained his composure on a nearby platform.

"Not so tough now, are you." Dark Sonic said menacingly.

"Sonic, let's not tick off the giant fire breathing lava monster." Angel said cautiously.

"Or else what?" Dark Sonic questioned.

"How about that?" Marine pointed.

The group looked back at Iblis, who reformed its claw by sinking its wrist into the lava. Once it's hand was restored, Iblis moved to the center of the volcano and clasped its hands together in a meditative stance. For a moment, it seemed that the rampaging beast had finally calmed down. But a moment later, a hundred balls of molten rock formed from the lava around Iblis' body and thrust themselves in every direction.

"Incoming!" Storm shouted.

The heroes were bombarded by molten rock with barely anyplace to go. Silver tried to keep a barrier to protect himself and his friends, but there were too many attacks at once and was unable to keep it up for long. With Silver drained of his powers, he was unable to look out for the oncoming barrage. Luckily, Angel made a quick grab for him and carrier him across the volcano wall. Storm and Marine were running around the platform ring, screaming like maniacs. Marine tripped on a rock and fell to the ground, just as another series of molten rock began to pelt at her. Fortunately, Dark Sonic zipped to her location and sliced the molten rock down the middle. When the attack was over, the group gathered together again; all bared some form of injury on their body.

"Man, where did Mephiles find this guy?" Angel groaned.

"That's it, mates." Marine said, falling backward. "I'm too tired to go."

"We can't give up yet." Dark Sonic panted. "We still have a chance."

"Sorry, Sonic, but I used up all my magic on defending myself." Silver wheezed.

"Looks like your own your own." Storm said before falling forward.

"Well, this is great." Dark Sonic said sarcastically.

Iblis was sensing the power levels of his opponents and could feel that four of them were almost completely drained. The only one that remained was a small resonance of darkness. Wanting to put an end to it, Iblis raised its hands to the sky. Dark Sonic watched in horror as Iblis reshaped the lava below into a molten fireball the size of the sun over its head. Iblis roared in victory and launched the fireball at his prey. Dark Sonic had no idea what to do next, but he was willing to risk everything for his friends. Dark Sonic held the Oblivion forward and halted the fireball momentarily. But the power of Iblis was too much for him and was slowly pushing him back to the others.

"_There's no way I can do this._" Dark Sonic thought. "_It's over_."

"_No, it's not!_" Sonic yelled. "_Come on, bro. You're more than a match for this guy!_"

"_But I can't fight alone_." Dark Sonic responded.

"_But, you're not alone._" Sonic said. "_You've got your friends with you._"

"_That's right...friends._" Dark Sonic thought. "_Who would have thought that a Heartless could have friends?_"

"_You're different, pal._" Sonic stated. "_Now show him what your made of!_"

Dark Sonic, empowered by his counterpart's words, used all his strength to push against the fireball. Iblis was in shock when it noticed its attack slowly moving backwards. Suddenly, something began to glow in the red sack the princesses gave him. The glow gave him the strength of a thousand warriors and was easily able to thrown the fireball straight back at its creator. Iblis was engulfed by the white-hot of his own force and slowly dissolved into nothingness. With the threat of Iblis gone, the darkened sky was clear and bright, revealing the sun this world secretly contained. As everyone regained their strength, Sonic returned to his normal state.

"Way to go, mate!" Marine cheered.

"Heh! Couldn't have done without our good buddy, Dark." Sonic grinned.

"Look's like a new path has been made." Silver said, staring down the dark hole where the lava once flowed. "No doubt Mephiles is waiting."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Sonic said eagerly. "Let's get moving."

"I always knew he would be the death of me." Silver muttered.

Sonic jumped down the empty volcano, shortly followed by the rest of his team. Mephiles was waiting for them at the end, but Sonic knew they stood a chance against him. But what they didn't realize is that, up in the sky, Mephiles had been watching the entire battle. He glared at the newly resurrected sun, using his coat to block its rays.

"So, Iblis has failed me as well." Mephiles said darkly. "It's time I took care of this matter personally."

* * *

**The final challenge await ahead. What new secrets await at the end of the tunnel? Will Sonic overcome the powers of darkness? Or will Mephiles finally control Kingdom Hearts. Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	43. The Final Light, Part 2

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Forty-One: The final Light, Part 2

It was hard to believe that just moments ago, Sonic and his friends defeated the mighty Flames of Disaster: Iblis. After the battle, the team of five dived down the empty chasm of the volcano. The lower levels of the volcano were much more gigantic than they had expected. It was close to the size of the crystal catacombs, but the heated temperature made it more difficult to endure.

"Of all the place he had to hide, why a volcano?" Storm whined.

"Hey, it's the perfect opportunity to work on our tan." Angel said, pulling on a pair of sunglasses.

"How long have we been falling exactly?" Sonic asked bored.

"I don't know." Silver shrugged. "Ten, maybe twenty, minutes. But right now, I think we need to be focusing on our upcoming battle with Mephiles."

"I know just what to do, mates!" Marine said eagerly; the looked on in disbelief. "We go in there, find the bad guys, beat him up with some good ol' Keyblade swinging, and save the day."

"I like it." Sonic smirked. "Short, sweet, and to the point."

"Well, you better get ready." Angel warned. "Cause here's our exit."

The group looked in the direction that angel pointed, where they spotted a white circular platform at the bottom of the endless chasm. In the depths of Sonic's mind, Dark Sonic was resting from the battle against Iblis, felt disturbed and restless. It was clear that Mephiles was on the other side. Sonic looked to his friends to see if they were worried, but was amazed by the fact of how eager they were. With everyone raring to go, the five stepped onto the platform and vanished in a flash of light.

* * *

When they opened their eyes, they found themselves in another alternate location. The scene was beautiful compared to the rest of this dark world. It was a cave of purple glowing rock walls with unlimited sparkling jewels bursting forth. The floor beneath them was even made of green crystallized rocks. But the only part that seemed out of place was the large Heartless emblem that clung to the wall opposite of our heroes.

"Mephiles must be waiting for us behind there." Silver stated.

"He' probably expecting us and made some kind of super power trap." Sonic grinned. "This oughta be fun."

Silver shook his head at his comrade before following him. By the time our heroes were halfway across the room, a Behemoth Heartless suddenly dropped down in front of them. The aftershock of the Behemoth's entrance knocked the heroes back against the walls.

"Come on!" Angel complained. "How many time to have to kill this guy before he gets the point?!"

An red vein appeared on the Behemoth's forehead and released an echoing roar; the heroes had to cover their ears. A moment later, an uncertain number of Angel Stars and Invisible's dropped down from the ceiling and confronted them.

"I think you made him mad, mate." Marine said obviously.

"Head up, everyone!" Storm shouted. "Here they come!"

The Behemoth lowered its horn and charged at our heroes in a brutal assault. The team scattered as the Behemoth rammed its horn into the crystallized wall. The Behemoth tugged backwards, but found itself trapped inside the wall. Sonic saw this as an opportunity and summoned the Oblivion as he ran ahead at the beast. But before he could reach, an Invisible jumped in and swung its broad sword down on the hedgehog. Sonic halted and lifted his Keyblade to stop the attack from making its mark. While Sonic was busy with the Invisible, an Angel Star flew behind him and fired one of its blast. Acting fast, Silver jumped in front of the blast and formed protective barrier around them.

"Nice save, Silv." Sonic complimented.

"I always got your back." Silver smirked. "And stop calling me Silv! What happened to Master Silver?"

"Eh, it got old." Sonic shrugged.

Silver used his psychic powers to push away the Angel Star while Sonic knocked back the Invisible. Back with the Behemoth, the tremendous beast finally managed to pull itself free from the crystal rocks. It shook its head and regained it bearings on the surroundings. The first thing it caught was Marine, Angel, and Strom fighting off a flock of Angel Stars and Invisibles. He Behemoth roared and charged ahead viciously. As Storm snapped the head of an Invisible, effectively killing it, he was the first to notice the giant Heartless headed their way.

"Watch it!" Storm forewarned.

"Say wha?" Angel questioned.

All of a sudden, Storm grabbed Angel by the scruff of her neck, just as the Behemoth stampeded by. Unfortunately, he had forgotten Marine, who was too busy fighting off a group of Angel Stars. By the time Marine even realized what had happened, the Behemoth jumped into the air and body slammed her and the Heartless.

"Marine!" Angel cried.

"What happened?!" Sonic yelled, fighting off another Invisible.

"It's Marine!" Angel shouted frantically. "She's been crushed!"

"Not as long as I can help it!!" Storm roared.

The enraged albatross hunched over and charged head forward into battle. The smaller Heartless tried to form a barrier between him and their leader, but Storm stampeded pasted them like they weren't even there. Storm braced the ferocious beast by its leg and lifted it into the air with impossible strength. With surprising effort, Storm flipped the Behemoth to the air, waited for it to drop and then thrusted his fist at its horn. The horn snapped on contact, forcing the Behemoth to return to the darkness. After the problem was handled, Storm and Angel ran over to Marine's side; Sonic and Silver joined them a moment later.

"Marine, are you all right?" Silver asked worried.

"That...that..." Marine whispered.

"Marine?" Sonic muttered.

"That...was...AWESOME!!" Marine cheered; the heroes sweat-dropped. "Let's do that again!"

"Well, at least we know she's ok." Angel shrugged.

"Hey, look at that." Sonic pointed.

Everyone's attention was drawn to the Heartless emblem in the room, which slowly started to crack. Suddenly, a fragment of the emblem fell of and revealed a small portion of white on the other side.

"What just happened?" Storm questioned.

"I'm guessing Mephiles made this as a final barrier." Silver theorized. "Once we defeat all the Heartless in this room, that emblem should reveal a portal to us. That's where we face Mephiles for the last time."

"Then let's get a move on, mate!" Marine said cheerfully.

As Marine took her first step forward, she was suddenly pulled back by Angel. She was lucky, too. A moment later, a Neo Shadow dropped from the ceiling on the exact where the raccoon stood. The Neo Shadow tried to attack while they were off guard, but Silver thrusted out his fingers and unleashed a surge of electricity that obliterated the Heartless. The heroes sighed in relief, but it didn't last longer. A few moments later, Another Neo Shadow dropped down. It was soon followed by Dynast, Vulcus, Guard Armor, Shadow Lugia, and any other Heartless you could think of.

"Something tells me they're not gonna let us through." Sonic stated, clutching the Oblivion.

"What was your first clue?" Angel asked sarcastically.

With both sides armed and ready, they jumped in for the final confrontation.

* * *

Two hours later, the heroes had somehow managed to survive the assault from the entire Heartless army. Every one of them was beaten and bruised to the point where they couldn't move on. But they pushed themselves through the Heartless emblem, which turned into a white portal, and found themselves in a secure location. It was a small bright room with a water spring and a tall white door on the other side. Once inside, the heroes flopped to the ground.

"Water..." Silver moaned, crawling to the spring. "I need water."

"Save some for the rest of us." Storm said weakly, joining his friends.

"Man, I can't believe we survived all that." Angel panted.

"Hey, we did the best we could do." Sonic said with remorse. He reached into his quills and pulled out a number of black, charred objects. "All the keychains our friends gave us are destroyed. The only ones left are the Oathkeeper and Oblivion."

"Hey, cheer up, mate." Marine said hoarsely. "Maybe we can get some new ones when we go back."

"I guess that's true." Sonic smirked.

After taking a few moments for water and healing, the group felt energized once again. Once ready, they walked over to the mysterious door. It was Sonic who seemed to be the only one who knew anything about it.

"Hey, I saw this door in my dream." Sonic stated. "And the day my Island was attacked."

"Do you know what's on the other side?" Storm asked.

"No." Sonic shook. "Every time I opened it, there would be a flash of light and I would wake up."

"You must have received a vision of the future." Silver stated. "It's been known to happen at random times. I bet those dreams were to warn you since your were destined to be the Keyblade Master."

"That's not all that was in my dreams." Sonic informed. "In every one of them, there would always be this weird..." Sonic stopped suddenly and searched the room frantically. "Did you hear that?"

"Hear what, mate?" Marine asked.

"That voice..." Sonic muttered. "It's the same one from my dreams."

The heroes remained silent in hopes of hear the ominous voice, but only Sonic was able to listen in.

"_Careful. This is the last haven you'll find here. Beyond, there is no light to protect you. But don't be afraid. Your heart is the mightiest weapon of all. Remember, you are the one who will open the door to the light._"

"I don't hear anything." Storm said.

"It's weird..." Sonic said. "For a moment there, it sounded like I heard it from somewhere. It's almost like I knew him."

"You want to take a break, Sonic?" Angel asked worried.

"No, I'm fine." Sonic said promptly. "It's time to end this. Mephiles is waiting for us."

Sonic gathered up his courage and stepped towards the door. The hedgehog grabbed the handles, but hesitated momentarily. Was he good enough to defeat Mephiles? Sonic was never destined to be the Keyblade Master in the first place. If Espio couldn't overcome the darkness, what chance did he have? Sonic clutched his hands on the door handle, shaking slightly, until he felt a gentle hand on his. He looked over and saw Marine smiling up to him.

"Come on, mate." Marine said brightly. "Let's do this together."

Sonic was amazed at her optimism and was grateful. He turned his head to the rest of the team and motioned them over. One-by-one, all members of the Sonic Team grabbed the handle and slowly pulled it open. A glistening light burst forth from the crevices of the door and pulled the heroes in. But they weren't worried; they would fight together.

* * *

When the light had cleared, the team of five found themselves in a entirely different location. They were standing on the beach of a small island covered with large trees and wooden structures formed along the wide branches. The waves of the ocean lapped at their feet as Silver, Marine, Storm, and Angel stared in awe at the beautiful scenery.

"Nice place." Angel complimented. "It reminds me of home."

"I would mind spending some vacation time here." Silver said amusingly. "This would be the ideal place to improve on my magic."

"And not to mention the water." Marine said happily. "Just think of all the cool stuff under there."

"I wonder where we are." Storm said curiously. "Do you know, Sonic?" He received no reply. "Uh, Sonic?"

The group turned to the direction of their leader, he seemed frozen in place. If he wasn't standing on this beach, Sonic would never have believed he was back. It was the home where he lived his entire life: Destiny Island.

"This place..." Sonic stammered. "This place is my island."

"This is your island?" Angel repeated.

"But I thought you said your island was destroyed by the Heartless." Storm said.

"Don't forget, this is the Heartless world." Silver advised. "The reason the island is here is because it's where the Heartless took it away. Be on your guard; this has to be one of Mephiles' traps."

Sonic was slightly disappointed to find that it wasn't his home, but pressed on. While the group searched the beach for the Seeker of Darkness, Sonic had a vague idea where he might be hiding. If anything, Mephiles would be at the very spot where all this madness started: the secret place. The others noticed his serious expression and swiftly followed him, not noticing what was happening around them. When they weren't looking, the tree houses vanished, the wooden bridge faded, and the pure waterfall had dried up.

"Where are we going, mate?" Marine asked.

"If I know Mephiles, he would go for the heart of this world." Sonic stated. "I didn't know it at first, but the answer was right in front of me. It the blank door inside the cave where Amy, Espio, and I would play."

"Then we have no time to waste." Silver said seriously.

The group of five finally made it to the entrance to the cave and stopped. Before any of them could move in close to the hole, the whole island began to shake. While Silver, Angel, Storm remained on guard, Sonic comforted Marine, who was frightened in terror.

"What's happening?!" Marine cried.

"Mephiles' trap has been sprung!" Silver shouted.

Slowly, all the features of the island began to fade away. The docks were now missing, the small paopu island vanished from sight, and the once calming blue oceans turned to a deathly purple. All this destruction continued as a voice echoed across the landscape.

"This world has been connected."

"What was that?" Angel questioned.

"It's Mephiles." Sonic growled, remembering the demon's speech.

"Tied to the darkness...soon to be completely eclipsed." Mephiles continued; the island began to shake at an alarming rate, fracturing the ground into pieces. "There is so very much to learn, yet you understand so little."

"Come out and fight, Mephiles!" Sonic yelled summoning the Oblivion to his hand.

"A meaningless effort." Mephiles echoed. "One who knows nothing can understand nothing."

A flash of light appeared from the sky and blinded the heroes for a small moment. When the moment had passed, the heroes found that they were no longer on the beautiful island; the clam paradise had been to a land of nightmares. The ground was literally torn to pieces across the waters and the trees looked like death themselves. But when Sonic looked over to the edges of the water, he could not believe what he found: Espio wearing his heartless uniform.

"Espio!" Sonic called out, running to his friend.

"Sonic, wait!" Silver warned. "It's a trap!"

Sonic knew that Mephiles had prepared a trap, but he didn't care. He had finally found Espio again. But as the excitement mounted with each step, the air suddenly became chilled and thick. Sonic knew from experience that this was the effect of Dark Sonic being a part of him. Only when great evil existed could the blue hedgehog feel such a sensation. The group finally caught up to Sonic and stopped only a few feet from Espio. The chameleon spoke, but his voice belonged to Mephiles.

"Take a look at this tiny place." Mephiles said amusingly. "To the heart seeking freedom, this island is a prison, surrounded by water." The dark demon began to laugh. "And so this boy sought a way to escape from his prison. To wanted the ability to crossover into other worlds. And in return, he opened his heart to the darkness."

Espio's body slowly turned to the group, but was suddenly encase in an aura of darkness. A moment later, Mephiles appeared in his place.

"Espio!" Sonic cried. "Let him go!"

"Why bother?" Mephiles chuckled darkly. "Your voice can no longer reach out to him any longer. His heart forever belongs to the darkness."

"You're lying." Sonic growled, clutching the Oblivion. "Espio can still be saved."

"Haven't you learned anything yet?" Mephiles said malevolently. "He can never return. Once he opened to the darkness, he was destined to return to it forever." Mephiles crossed his arms and glared. "All living things are born from the darkness and also die of it. The heart is no different. Darkness sprouts within it, growing, consuming all life. Such is its nature."

Sonic glared at Mephiles' form, but blinked for a moment. In that one instant, Mephiles vanished.

"Where'd he go?" Marine questioned.

All of a sudden, the group could feel a dark presence from behind. The looked back and found Mephiles standing directly to their backs. The group jumped back in shock, but remained on guard.

"In the end, every heart returns to the darkness from whence it came." Mephiles stated. "You see, darkness is the hearts purest and most potent form. Darkness is the source of all things."

"You know," Sonic smirked. "For a genius, you're an idiot."

"What?!" Mephiles roared in fury.

"Sonic, now's not the time to tick him off." Angel muttered frighteningly.

"I know that the heart is weak and it may even give in." Sonic said seriously. "But I've learned that deep in our hearts, there is a light that will never go out." Sonic pointed the Oblivion at Mephiles. "Face it, you're beat."

"So you have come this far and still you understand nothing." Mephiles said wickedly. "Every light must fade; every heart return to darkness!!"

Mephiles holds out his claws, which swiftly begins to suck up all the darkness in the atmosphere. Being in a world filled with nothing but darkness, that usually spelled bad news. Mephiles, his claws now glowing with a black aura, held them forward and released a wave of black arrows at our heroes.

"Incoming!!" Storm yelled.

The heroes quickly dived away in different directions, but Silver stared at the attack in wonderment.

"That's the Chaos Spear." Silver stated. "How could he have learned that?"

"It's really quite simple." Mephiles said, suddenly appearing to clutch Silver by the throat. "Using the knowledge from my soldiers, I was able to mimic all you abilities. The only difference is that mine is made from pure darkness."

Mephiles tightened his grip around the hedgehog's neck, starting to suffocate him. Suddenly, Storm charging and tackled the dark demon to the wall; Silver could breath easy again. Storm held Mephiles to the wall, but the Seeker of Darkness had other plans in store. Holding his claw to the water, Mephiles commanded the tainted sea to strike Storm and throw him to the other side of the island. Seeing his friend in danger, Silver clutched his fists and raised them to the sky, forming a series of jagged rocks. Unfortunately, Mephiles jumped into the air before the attack could hit and landed on the column of water. He began to ride the wave across the sky before changing its direction down at the heroes.

"You don't see that everyday." Sonic commented.

"You haven't been to my world yet, have you?" Angel smirked.

As Mephiles dived closer, Sonic and Angel started to run in the opposite direction. While the dark water moved in closer to its target, Mephiles suddenly reeled his head back to avoid a green orb of energy. Mephiles looked to the trees where he found Marine firing her powers down on him. Mephiles jumped off the living wave; it continued its chase for the two heroes, and ran up the tree trunk till he reached the point where Marine stood. Once he loomed over her, he swung his claws down sharply. The attack had effectively made contact and caused the adventurous raccoon to fall from a large distance. She nearly slammed into the ground, but Silver dived in suddenly and caught her in the nick of time.

"Are you ok?" Silver panted.

"I'm fine, mate." Marine groaned. "But my head hurts."

Marine stood up and reveal two permanent scars slashed across her right eye. The heroes were not going to let this stand. Sonic, who saw the whole thing, grabbed Angel by the hand and ran at the cliffside wall. Sonic intentionally slowed down to let the water catch up before running along the water and back flipping onto the water. Using the water magic he learned, Sonic redirected the wave to return back to its master. Mephiles saw this coming and swiftly jumped away before the wave could hit.

"It's going to take a lot more that that to defeat me!" Mephiles proclaimed.

"Then how does this suit ya?!" Sonic screamed.

Sonic tightened his grip around Angel and suddenly curled into his ball form. Sonic performed a midair spin dash, but instead of attacking, Sonic uncurled and launched Angel in his place.

"BONZAI!!" Angel yelled joyously. She reached Mephiles and suddenly clung to his face. "We have to stop meeting like this."

"Release me, you vermin!" Mephiles demanded.

"Whatever you say." Angel smirked.

Angel released the Seeker of Darkness from her grip and kicked off his face. While his anger was directed at Angel, he failed to notice Sonic diving at him until it was too late. The hedgehog swung around in a complete circle before nailing the final blow in Mephiles' chest. The force of the impact sent Mephiles rocketing into the ground, forming a massive crater where he landed. Sonic landed, feeling exhausted from the attack, but otherwise was ok. The rest of the group ran to his side.

"You were amazing, Sonic." Silver complimented.

"Thanks." Sonic nodded before looking to Marine. "Are you ok, Marine?"

"I'm better than ok, mate." Marine said cheerfully. "That was an awesome fight and I got this cool scar."

"Wow, her ego must be invincible or something." Angel joked.

The group laughed at Angel's remark, but the raccoon only looked confused. (**what a surprise**). But the moment didn't last long. Sonic once again felt the dark chill down his spine and looked back at the crater where Mephiles laid. When the dust cloud cleared, Mephiles was found standing in the center of the crater, perfectly unharmed. Slowly, the dark demon began to walk out of the crater and stopped across from the heroes.

"Isn't there anything that can stop this guy." Strom groaned.

"No worries." Sonic waved. "As long as we stick together, we can't lose to this guy."

"It's true." Mephiles nodded. "Together, I do not posses the strength to defeat you. Each of you presents a quality that makes it nearly impossible for me to win on my own."

"So, does that mean you're giving up?" Angel asked hopeful.

"Not a chance." Mephiles laughed. "I think it's time we broke up the dream team."

Before anyone could move, Mephiles formed a whip of darkness, wrapped it around Sonic, and pulled the Keyblade Master into the dense forest behind them. As the remaining heroes ran to help their friend, the island started to rattle once more.

"It's the end of the world!" Marine cried.

"Maybe that's what we should call this place." Storm said thoughtfully.

"Focus, people!" Silver yelled.

As the island began to shake beyond belief, the thick forest suddenly began to split down the middle. The trees and earth were jutted upwards, revealing an arena of purple crystallized walls. When the earthquake had subsided, the heroes cautiously edge forward to the new area. When where they stood, the heroes could see Sonic lying in the center of the new area. The blue hedgehog groaned loudly, slowly pushing himself back to his feet.

"Whoa, anyone get the license plate off that truck." Sonic mumbled.

"Sonic, are you ok?!" Storm yelled.

"I'm fine!" Sonic replied. "Just a little dizzy!"

"That's good." Angel sighed. "For a moment there I thought – Sonic, look out!"

At that instant, Sonic looked back, only to be smacked aside by a giant hand. While Sonic was thrusted across the arena, Marine cried out for her friends and tried to jump in to help. But unfortunately, she instead smacked into an invisible wall around the arena. The others winced slightly as Marine was sliding down the non-existing wall.

"What happened?" Marine asked muffled.

"Mephiles must have put a defense around the perimeter." Silver analyzed. "He doesn't want anyone getting in the way."

As Sonic sat back up, he found Mephiles found high above the island. But what Sonic was expecting the least was the gigantic shadow standing beneath the Seeker of Darkness. It was not hard to forget its features: the small black wings, the mess of tangled hair, and the heart shaped hole in its stomach. Darkside was back for a rematch.

"Oh, come on!" Sonic whined. "Haven't I beaten him enough for one lifetime!"

"You may have defeated the Darkside in the past, but this is different." Mephiles said malevolently. "My soldier has grown more powerful with each passing world. And without your friends, you have no hope of defeating the commander of the Heartless."

"I said it before and I'll say it again." Sonic sniggered. "For a genius, you are an idiot."

"You miserable rodent!" Mephiles yelled outrageously. "You'll soon learn that the darkness cannot be defeated!"

"Then let's get to learning." Sonic laughed, gripping the Oblivion.

"Go forth, my soldier." Mephiles commanded.

Mephiles faded in a cloud of darkness, leaving the Darkside to fight the battle. Sonic could easily predict the Darkside's movements from the last battle and moved aside when it slammed its fist to the ground. True to Mephiles' words, the Darkside was much stronger than last time. The aftershock from the giant Heartless attack sent Sonic flew backwards, barely allowing him to land on his feet. Sonic was making his move to jump up the Darkside's arm, but then soon noticed a portal of darkness below its palm. From that darkness, three Neo Shadow's formed for battle.

"That's new." Sonic commented.

"Keep your guard up, mate!" Marine screamed. "They're just trying to distract you!"

"Wow, that's actually some good advice." Silver said amazed.

"Our little girl's all grown up." Storm said sweepingly, blowing his nose into a rag.

The rest of the watchers sweat-dropped at his actions. Back in the fight, Sonic made quick work of the Neo Shadows and ran back to his fight with the Darkside. Knowing that its prey was coming, the Darkside swung its fist down on the blue hedgehog. Expecting this, Sonic flipped off the ground and landed on its wrist. Sonic took this opportunity to run up the giant's arm and swing away at its face. Unfortunately, the Darkside's hair caught the Oblivion and tossed it and its master back to the ground. Sonic flipped in midair and landed safely on his feet. At that same moment, the Darkside summoned a sphere of darkness in its palm and tossed it into the air. After flying up for a few moments, the sphere burst and released hundreds of dark spores, all aimed at the Keyblade Master.

"Why don't I ever get a break?" Sonic moaned.

Sonic began stringing for the nearest spore and obliterated them one-by-one. for a while, it seemed that Sonic was out of danger. But that was until the Darkside grabbed his small body and lifted him to the air. Sonic struggled to move his Keyblade, but the Darkside tightened its grip around him, forcing the hedgehog to drop his weapon.

"Sonic!" Angel screamed.

"He's done for." Storm whimpered.

"No, he's not!" Marine said sternly. "He'll find a way out of this. I know it."

Despite Marine faithful words, things did not seem to be going well for our brave hero. Sonic could feel his insides beginning to cave in as the Darkside relentlessly began to crush him to oblivion. Sonic was slowly starting to lose consciousness and the voices of his friends began to fade.

"_I never thought I'd lose to this guy._" Sonic thought. "_But after all I did, it was still worth nothing_."

"_That doesn't sound very heroic, Sonic._"

"_Espio!!_" Sonic mentally exclaimed.

"_Yep, it's me._" Espio replied. "_I'm still wandering the Realm of Darkness. But I did find a friend here to help me contact you._"

"_Espio, what do I do?_" Sonic asked pleadingly. "_I can't beat this guy. He way too strong for me to take on._"

"_Don't tell me you're giving up already._" Espio said amusingly. "_Come on, Sonic. I know you're tougher than that._"

"Yeah, I am." Sonic said confidently.

Suddenly, Sonic summons the Oblivion to his hands. He shook his head for a moment to knock loose the Kingdom Keychain from his quills and snatch it with his hands. It took some doing, but Sonic managed to switch the Oblivion to the Kingdom Key. Activating the keychain, Sonic used the power of super speed to shake himself loose from the Darkside's grip. Giving the Heartless no chance to react, Sonic ran up to the Darkside's face and cut clean across. Sonic landed to the ground in a finisher's final stance, trying to make himself look cool, as the Darkside toppled over and vanished into the darkness.

"Awesome, mate!" Marine cheered.

"You see, I told ya he could do it." Storm nodded confidently.

"And you also think salami is a state." Silver sniggered.

Back in the arena, Sonic looked back to his friend, throwing them a sign of victory in their direction. But a moment later, a familiar chill entered his spine. The Keyblade Master shot around and came face-to-face with Mephiles.

"So, it appears my greatest warrior is not enough to defeat the might Keyblade Master." Mephiles said coolly.

"What did ya expect?" Sonic grinned wildly. "Now are you here to give me a real challenge or what? You know you can beat me without your little toys. And with my friends on my side, there's no way I can lose."

"I must admit, your power has come as unexpected." Mephiles stated. "But this is only the beginning. For you see, this entire battle, I have only been using a fraction of the darkness I possess."

"Evil freaky dark madman says what?!" Sonic exclaimed terrified.

"It should be considered an honor!" Mephiles laughed wildly, floating into the air. "You will be the first to witness the fullest powers of darkness! You will have the chances to face my ultimate form: Solaris!!"

Mephiles clutches his hands together and forms a sphere of the purest darkness possible. Mephiles released the sphere from his grip and watches it exploded at nuclear proportions. Sonic raised his Keyblade in defense, but was quickly engulfed by the darkness. The sphere expanded over the entire island, taking along Silver and the others. The final battle was coming to a close.

* * *

**The battle of the centuries is coming to an end. What is the power of Mephiles' ultimate form? Will the heroes find a way to defeat this villian? Or will the darkness consume all worlds? Find out on the next Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	44. The Final Light, Part 3

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Chapter Forty-Two: The final Light, Part 3

Darkness...that was all that could be seen. In a last desperate attempt for victory, Mephiles unleashed a colossal explosion of darkness from his own body and engulfed the Heartless world, taking our heroes along with him. Though temporarily blinded by the darkness, Sonic managed to regain his sight. He floated endlessly in a vast abyss of darkness that contained only a few small white pieces of land. Sonic was scared, but also relieved when he was rejoined by his friends.

"Sonic!" Marine cheered, floating over to hug the hedgehog. "I was worried, mate."

"Hey, did you forget who I am?" Sonic grinned.

"I don't think we'll ever forget." Silver smirked, searching the abyss. "What happened to Mephiles?"

"I don't know." Sonic said. "One minute, I was facing him; the next minute, we're here."

"This can't be a good thing." Angel said seriously. "We got to keep our guard up."

"Yeah, but we have a problem." Storm said nervously. "We don't know where we are."

"Perhaps I could enlighten you." Mephiles' voice echoed.

At once, the heroes jumped and faced in multiple directions, preparing for anything that might come. Sonic summoned his Keyblade in defense. Silver tried to use some light magic to illuminate the abyss, but his magic was instantly extinguished.

"What is this place?" Silver asked shockingly. "All my magic is weaker."

"It seems you have learned the power of the Endless Abyss." Mephiles laughed. "This is the true home for the Heartless and the lost realm that contains the heart of all worlds: Kingdom Heart!" Not far from their position, the heroes could see a gigantic white door visible in the eternal darkness. But what scared them most was that it was the only source of light. "Look as hard as you are able. You will not find even the smallest glimmer of light. From those dark depths that all hearts are born; even yours."

"Like we're supposed to believe that!" Angel exclaimed. "Sonic was right, you are an idiot!"

"Yeah, we're way too good for this place!" Storm nodded.

"I don't seem to understand the truth..." Mephiles echoed.

This time, the heroes knew which direction he was speaking from. They turned for a fight, but instantly regretted it a moment later. Iblis was back and appeared to be more powerful than ever. Without the lava around his feet, Iblis had a more humanoid appearance. The lava beast's chest was covered in golden armor with massive golden wings jutting from its back. In the center of his armor was the Master Emerald. It was clear that Mephiles need Iblis back to complete his ultimate form: Solaris. Speaking of whom, the Seeker of Darkness floated above the Master Emerald, wielding two Soul Eater blades.

"Darkness conquers all worlds!!" Mephiles roared.

"I wanna go home now." Marine said cowardly.

"I second that." Silver said fearfully.

"So sorry, but there is no going back." Mephiles laughed.

Mephiles crossed his Soul Eaters and slashed them across the abyss, creating wave of energy. The heroes, who were not used to flying, could not move away from that attack and were scattered by it. Iblis roared and a portal of darkness appeared over his golden armor. Iblis grabbed Marine, Silver, Storm, and Angel before throwing them inside the portals forever. However, Sonic continued to fall downwards in the bottomless abyss. Without his Phoenix Blade, Sonic couldn't fly. It seemed to spell the end for our blue hero.

"_Dark, do something!_" Sonic thought desperately.

"_I can't._" Dark Sonic replied. "_Not even I could last in this kind of darkness._"

"_So that it_." Sonic thought hopelessly. "_We're doomed._"

"_What did I just get through telling you?_"

"_Espio?_" Sonic questioned

"_Like I said, you're way stronger than this_." Espio stated.

"_He's right_." A new voice said. "_Don't give up without a fight._"

Back with Mephiles, he appeared to be searching for the Keyblade Master. Just by knowing that he was Zoan's son, Mephiles knew Sonic wouldn't go down so easily. And he was right. A moment later, Mephiles suddenly crossed his Soul Eaters just in time to block Sonic's Keyblade. A small trace of light surrounded the hedgehog's body; Mephiles hissed at the radiance. Iblis moved to defend his master and swiped at Sonic. Fortunately, the blue hedgehog kicked off Mephiles' weapons and floated away from the attack. Sonic held out his Keyblade, ready to bring an end to this fight.

"It all ends here, Mephiles." Sonic said seriously.

"Insolent whelp." Mephiles glared. "You are truly Zoan's son. His overconfidence led to his own downfall."

"My dad was the greatest warrior ever!" Sonic shouted. "And so am I! I'm going to put an end to your reign of terror and return all the hearts that you stole!"

"Such defiance." Mephiles said musingly. "Allow me to introduce you to the darkness in your heart."

The time for talk had ended. Sonic gripped his Keyblade with all his might and Mephiles clutched his Soul Eaters in anticipation. For two long minutes, the silence remained with the exception of Iblis' growls. Mephiles' hand twitched. At once, Sonic activated his Keyblade ability and zipped up to the Seeker of Darkness. Mephiles barely raised his Soul Eaters in time to block Sonic's shot, but failed to realize Sonic's true intentions. While Mephiles was distracted by his Keyblade, Sonic flipped around and kicked at Mephiles' chest. While Mephiles clutched his chest in pain, Sonic spun around and swiped his Keyblade at the Seeker of Darkness. Unfortunately, Iblis moved his hand in front of the attack, effectively blocking it. Iblis backhanded Sonic in the head; send the Keyblade Master flying backwards.

"Ugh, are you kidding me." Sonic groaned. "Can't we fight without the big guy?"

"You seem a little confused." Mephiles sniggered. "Then perhaps this will enlighten you."

Suddenly, several purple disks surrounded the hedgehog like a bird of prey. Sonic barely noticed whet happened when the disks shot out thin beams of light. Sonic managed to curve his body into an angle where the beams barely missed him. One of the beams cut hit his left elbow; he winced from the burning sensation. The disks gathered around again, but Sonic was better prepared this time. The blue hedgehog shot up into the air before the beams could hit. As he floated away, he noticed the purple disks tailing him from behind. Sonic tried to shake them off, but the disks could sense his every motion.

"I haven't had this much entertainment in years." Mephiles laughed.

Sonic glared at the Seeker of Darkness when an idea suddenly hit him. All of a sudden, Sonic stopped dead in his tracks, allowing the disks to pass by him. As the disks swung back around, Sonic made a dive for Mephiles. The Heartless leader saw this and swiped his twin Soul Eaters at the hedgehog. Sonic blocked one of the blades with his Keyblade and kicked the other one away. Both pushed against each other with heavy force, locking them in a stalemate.

"Do you truly believe you can beat me alone?" Mephiles questioned.

"Nah, you can help a bit." Sonic grinned.

Mephiles raised his brow to the hedgehog in confusion. Sonic smirked at his expression and floated upwards, revealing the purple disks that had followed him. Mephiles watched in horror as his own weapons fired at him mistakenly. Mephiles tried to block them with his Soul Eaters, but the force was too strong for him. The beams knocked the Soul Eaters out of his hands, allowing the six powerful beams to stab at his chest. Using his remaining strength, Mephiles called off his attack. Mephiles clutched his chest in agony as black blood began to seep from his wounds. He glared at Sonic floating form with hateful eyes.

"You filthy rat..." Mephiles panted. "You have become a bigger thorn in my side than I thought."

"Whatever." Sonic said confidently, holding out his Keyblade. "Are you ready to end this?"

"You could finish me off." Mephiles chuckled. "But by finishing me off, you lose any chances of saving your friends."

"My friends?" Sonic repeated; growling loudly. "Where are they, Mephiles?!"

Mephiles did not reply, but held his claw outwards into the abyss. Suddenly, a portal of darkness appeared behind Sonic. The hedgehog looked back as the vision inside the portal became more clear. He could see Storm and Angel standing in a dark room that was illuminated by a glowing Heartless symbol. They seemed to be fighting off something that Sonic couldn't' see from his view. Sonic looked back to Mephiles.

"You have a choice." Mephiles said snidely. "You can kill me or protect them."

Sonic looked back and forth between Mephiles and the portal, unable to make a choice. Mephiles erased his Soul Eaters and slowly retreated back into the Master Emerald. With Mephiles gone, Sonic had no other choice but to save his friends. The brave Keyblade Master dived into the portal of darkness and transported away.

* * *

Sonic phased through the portal of darkness and landed on the neon symbol. He expected his friends to be happy for his arrival, but they didn't even know he was there. They were just throwing their fists in random directions into the darkness. Sonic scratched his head in confusion. A moment later, he found out what they were fighting. A Neo Shadow jumped on the hedgehog's back and pinned him to the ground. Sonic tried to swing around with his Keyblade, but his hands were pinned behind him. The Neo Shadow raised its claws to strike, but Angel came out of nowhere and kicked the Heartless in the face. The Neo Shadow staggered as Sonic got back up, but before It could attack, Storm came from behind and snapped its neck in two.

"Thanks for the save, guys." Sonic said gratefully.

"Sonic, what's going on outside?" Angel asked.

"I was fight Mephiles and winning against his newest form." Sonic explained. "He seems to be using Iblis' power to make himself stronger. But just as I was about to win, he tried to kill you guys."

"AHH!!" Storm screamed. "We're all gonna die!!"

"Get a hold of yourself, man!" Sonic shouted, slapping his friends across the face. "We just need to get out of here and save our friends."

"I think we might have a little problem with that." Angel said.

At that moment, several more Neo Shadow walked into the neon light. Sonic recalled his Keyblade and swiped across the nearest Heartless before diving into the darkness. Angel flipped over the nearest Neo Shadow and wrapped her antenna around its neck in midair. When she landed, she tossed her captive at another group of Neo Shadow before jumping onto the pile, crushing them into the ground. Storm was having a much easier time than expected. Every time the Neo Shadows jumped at his from a different direction, they would bounce off his girth. At every opportunity he could get, he was smash, snap, pound, and overall, killed any Heartless that came within his reach. Angel and Storm soon ran out of Heartless and were left unsatisfied. They heard screeching and turned to see a pack of Neo Shadows headed for them. But just as they raised their fists, Sonic jumped out from the darkness and sliced off their heads.

"Aw, I wanted those." Angel whined.

"My bad." Sonic said sheepishly.

The neon Heartless symbol faded and a flash of light appeared behind the group. They turned a found a large red core in the center of the dark area.

"What's that?" Storm asked.

"I think that's our way out." Sonic stated. "Storm, think you can break it?"

"Leave it to me, pal." Storm grinned.

The large Albatross pounded his fists together and stepped up to the core. He grabbed the strange object by its roots and forcefully ripped it from the floor and ceiling. With its connection last, the core blinked rapidly until it ultimately exploded. The force from the blast sent the heroes flying backwards into a portal of darkness that just appeared.

* * *

Sonic, Storm, and Angel were thrown back into the Endless Abyss, where Iblis and Solaris was waiting for them. They floated around to regain their form before searching for the location of Silver and Marine. In the depths of Sonic's mind, Dark Sonic was becoming more erratic and out of control. Sonic had to use all his will power to keep his Heartless counterpart tame. Mephiles was still resting inside the Master Emerald and was growing stronger with every passing minute. They needed to find their friends and fast!

"Hurry!" Sonic shouted frightfully. "We have to find Silver and Marine or we're done for!"

"But where are they?" Storm asked.

They didn't have time to think before Iblis started swiping at them with his massive claws. Sonic and Angel kicked off of Storm's stomach, which allowed all three off them to move away in time. Iblis roared his fiery head off, providing slight damage to the heroes' eardrums. But as Iblis echoed its challenge, Storm noticed something floating in its mouth: A portal of darkness.

"Hey, there it is!" Storm called out. "The portal's inside his mouth!"

"You have got to be kidding me." Sonic whined. "Why can't things ever be easy?"

"It's not worth it if it's easy." Angel said wisely.

"That's it, no more fortune cookies for you." Sonic said sternly.

"No!!" Angel cried. "I need them!"

"Guys, heads up!" Storm screamed.

Sonic and Angel barely had any time to move before Iblis began bombarding them with another barrage of fireballs. Even without the lava, Iblis was still an omnipotent monster. Sonic pushed Angel behind him and started swiping the fireballs in half with his Keyblade; Storm used his fists to knock them away. But just as Sonic made it through the wall of flames, Iblis' hand suddenly reached out and grasped Sonic's small body. Angel tried to pry Sonic free, but her unusual strength was nothing compared to the lava beasts. As Iblis began to move Sonic closer to its mouth, Storm suddenly flew up and slammed his fist into the side of the monsters face. One of the rocks in his face cracked, but Iblis made no motion that he even felt the attack.

"He's way too strong for us!" Angel shouted frantically.

"Sonic, hang in there!" Storm yelled.

"Like I have a choice!" Sonic replied.

Storm and Angel tried to think of something to save him, but ended up with nothing. Iblis raised the Keyblade Master over his open mouth and dropped him. Sonic panicked temporarily before realizing that the portal was inside Iblis' mouth. Without any hesitation, Sonic dived into the portal as Iblis snapped his mouth shut.

* * *

Sonic once again found himself in another dark room illuminated by a neon Heartless sign. Sonic walked cautiously in the center of the room, hoping for anything to happen. Unknown to him, an Invisible floated behind his head with its broadsword poised to strike. It was about to strike until a green orb shot out of nowhere and blasted the creatures face. Sonic reacted to the sound of the blast and turned to find the Invisible twitching slightly. A moment later, a spark of lightning flew out of the darkness and eradicated the Heartless.

"You just can't stay out of trouble, can ya?" Silver's voice said.

Sonic turned around as Marine jumped into his arms for a hug. Sonic set Marine down just as Silver walked into the light.

"It's great to see you guys again." Sonic said earnestly.

"I'm so happy you're here, mate." Marine said tearfully. "I was so scared without you, mate."

"She's been like that ever since we got here." Silver stated.

"Marine..." Sonic said softly. "I'm not going anywhere. The two of us are going to get through this together."

"Promise?" Marine asked.

"Promise." Sonic nodded.

"Not to ruin this moment," Silver interrupted. "But we've got company."

At that moment, more Invisibles appeared in the distress call of their fallen comrade. As one of the Invisibles swung at Marine, Sonic jumped forward and blocked the sword with his Keyblade; an angered glare in his eyes. Sonic pushed away the Invisibles' weapon and slapped his hand onto its chest; encasing it in a block of ice. He smashed the Keyblade at the head and shattered the Heartless to pieces. While he was distracted for his anger for the Heartless he killed, he remained completely unaware of the two ducking behind him. Fortunately, Silver caught this and released a massive fireball to incinerate them to ashes. Marine was left to deal with the last two of the Heartless, but saw the fight as more of a game. The scarred raccoon was bouncing across the room with the Heartless chasing after her. Unknowingly, Marine bounced to high on her last jumped and the Invisible accidentally stabbed each other.

"That was fun, mates." Marine said cheerfully.

"How does she do that?" Sonic asked confused.

"Some things are meant to remain a mystery." Silver stated wisely. The room turned dark and the central core appeared in the room. "What's that?"

"That's our way out of here." Sonic explained. "Silver, can you take care of it."

Silver nodded and clapped his hands together before breathing out another fireball. The core stood no chance against the powerful flames and was obliterated in a powerful blast.

* * *

Back outside, Iblis was overtaking Angel and Storm with ease. Both fighters were weak and bruised since their powers were nothing against the monster's power. Iblis looked ready to finish them off when it suddenly stopped moving. Without warning, Iblis' body began to crack and shattered into a thousand pieces. From the wreckage, Sonic, Silver, and Storm floated over to rejoin their friends.

"They did it!" Storm cheered.

"I knew they would." Angel nodded.

"Did not!" Storm stated.

With the heroes together again, they turned in the direction of the remains of Solaris. With Iblis destroyed, the golden armor and wings were all that remained of the great beast. Inside the Master Emerald, Mephiles could be seen bundled together as he slept.

"What's he doing?" Marine asked.

"He's trying to regain his strength." Sonic informed. "If he wakes up, we might not get this chance again. We have to destroy him now before he becomes too powerful to stop."

"Then let's put an end to this." Storm grinned, pounding his fists together.

"You're too late." Mephiles' voice echoed.

All five heroes' eyes opened wide in fear; their time had run out. Mephiles began to pull his body out of the Master Emerald and floated in front of the remains of Solaris; his chest wound had been fully healed. He called forth his twin Soul Eaters and laughed at the heroes useless attempts.

"The villain is laughing at us." Sonic said. "That's never a good thing."

"Why didn't you finish him earlier?" Silver questioned.

"Because his heart was too weak." Mephiles intervened. "He had a choice to make: end my life or save yours. In the end, he allowed me to obtain my greatest strength and brought the end of all worlds." Mephiles looked in the direction of the door to Kingdom Hearts. "Those who hold weak hearts are not qualified to wield the legendary Keyblade."

"Just because I chose my friends doesn't make me weak." Sonic growled. "It's what makes me even more powerful. As long as my friends are in my heart, the darkness can never touch me." He smirked. "Mephiles, you don't stand a chance."

"An interesting theory." Mephiles taunted. "Why don't we put it to the test?"

The five heroes scattered and took their chances against the Seeker of Darkness. Marine was the first to attempt an assault on the dark monster. She held out her palms and fired a series of green orbs at the dark demon. This, of course, proved useless against him as Mephiles sliced the orbs in a single swift motion with his Soul Eaters. With the pathway clear, Mephiles commanded Solaris to move his body in the direction of Marine. He stopped in front of his wily target. He took pleasure in the frightened look of his prey. After Mephiles gave two permanent scars on her face, Marine was frightened of the dark demon.

"I love the fear of others." Mephiles said pleasingly. "It brings me such joy."

"I-I'm n-not s-s-scared of y-you." Marine stuttered.

"Oh..." Mephiles said thoughtfully. He slammed his fist into Marine's stomach. "You'll have to cover up better than that."

Mephiles released Marine from his grip and let her drop into the darkness. Fortunately, Silver caught her just in time and spun around to shoot a bolt of lightning from his hands. Mephiles held on of his blades forward to block the shot and tossed the other one towards Silver. Using his earth element, Silver called a piece of land to take the hit instead. Mephiles held out his claw and called his weapon back. Silver set Marine down gently on the piece of land before diving at Mephiles. The Babylon mystic gathered his psychic energy in the form of two rings and tossed them forward. Mephiles knew that the rings had the power to cut through anything and was not risking getting killed. He commanded Solaris to move and the entire body vanished into thin air.

"Wha? Where'd he go?" Silver said frantically.

"Keep looking." Mephiles called.

Silver turned at the sound of the voice, only to receive a hit from the hilt of Mephiles' blade to the face. The attack forced Silver into shock and blinded him temporarily. Taking the opportunity, Mephiles crossed his Soul Eaters and slashed across Silver's chest. It was only a lucky coincidence that Silver landed on the same piece of land as Marine. As Solaris moved in closer to its prey, Storm suddenly flew up to Mephiles and threw his fist to the demon's face. Mephiles erased his Soul Eaters and caught the fist with one hand. With one option left, Storm threw his other fist at Mephiles. "Unfortunately, the Seeker of Darkness caught that one as well.

"Looks like your left with nothing else." Mephiles said pleasingly. "What now?"

"Oh, just a little something we like to call..." Storm began.

"Mean double team!" Angel finished.

Angel suddenly appeared over Storm's head and flipped in circles over the demon's face. The pink experiment stretched out her leg and brought it down at Mephiles' head. With Mephiles momentarily distracted, Storm pulled away his fists and slammed them into Mephiles' face. The Seeker of Darkness was tossed back into Solaris' body, floating helplessly like a rag doll. Seeing this as an opportunity, Storm and Angel flew in for the finishing blow. Mephiles' head suddenly snapped up and Solaris' wings spread wide over the abyss. Out of nowhere, hundreds of meteors appeared out of the darkness over the duo. They were string, but were not prepared for Mephiles' unexpected attack. The meteor shower rained over them, leaving their bodies damaged and bruised. When the shower was over, Mephiles could be seen holding them by their heads.

"Such pitiful life-forms." Mephiles said, throwing their weak bodies with Silver and Marine. "Is there no one who can challenge me?"

"Did you forget someone?" Mephiles stared across the abyss, where his eyes came across Sonic. "Don't forget, you still have me."

"I haven't forgotten about you." Mephiles said deviously. "But why waste your time trying to defeat me when you could be protecting your friends."

"What are you up to?" Sonic questioned fearfully.

Mephiles didn't answer; only laughed in the coldest voice Sonic had ever heard. The Seeker of Darkness raised his hands high and summoned a large sphere of pure darkness. He began collecting as much darkness from the abyss to add to his power until the sphere was bigger than a tower. Sonic finally realized what Mephiles was planning and swiftly flew forward to cut him off. Unfortunately, Mephiles had already unleashed his power.

"Witness real power!!" Mephiles roared.

Mephiles launched the sphere of darkness at the piece of land that held Sonic's friends. It was at that time that the group of wounded heroes was beginning to recover. When they looked up, they had only just realized Mephiles' attack. Just as the attack was about to reach them, Sonic suddenly appeared in front with his arms stretched out. Using what little power he could take from his Heartless personality, Sonic managed to absorb the flow of darkness, but at a heavy price.

"Sonic..." Silver whispered.

Sonic remained silent as he turned and smiled at his friend. A moment later, his eyes rolled backwards and the Keyblade master fell into the darkness.

"Sonic!!" Marine cried. "Sonic...Sonic...So..."

* * *

"Sonic..."

The blue hedgehog groaned in pain, but slowly opened his eyes. He was nearly blinded by a sudden brightness, but his eyes were able to adjust. When he senses recovered, he found himself in a wide flower field instead of the Endless Abyss. Where was he? How did he get here? What happened to his friends? All these questions swarmed around Sonic's head, but no answer could be found to any of them. He flinched slightly when he felt a pair of arms suddenly wrap around him. But would break away, but the feeling was warm and familiar. He looked back and came face-to-face with a familiar violet hedgehog.

"Hello, Sonic." Aleena smiled.

"Mom?" Sonic muttered softly, fearing it was just a dream. "Are you really..."

"Yes, it's me, Sonic." Aleena said kindly, cuddling up to her son. "I've been hoping to see you again."

"But if you're here, then am I..."

No, you're not dead." Aleena answered. "You're just lost between the realm of life and death. This is the only time the Higher Powers could let me see you." She frowned. "But it won't last long. You're still needed back in the living realm."

"What's the point?" Sonic said hopelessly. "Mephiles is too powerful. We're all going to die anyway."

"Sonic the Hedgehog!" Aleena shouted sternly. "That is not the kind of attitude that I want to here! If your father were here right now, he would punish you severely for saying that!"

"But it's impossible." Sonic said. "I can't beat Mephiles alone."

"Who said you were alone." Aleena said.

Aleena pointed out to the field, forcing her son to watch. Suddenly, all of Sonic's friends began appearing around the field. From the Traverse Town Gang to Wes to the Toa to Chaos. Everyone Sonic had ever met was there for him, which easily lifted his confidence. He witnessed Espio and his team appeared and soon realized that he was never alone. His spirits were brought to their peck when Amy's face appeared most clear of all his friends.

"Your friends are always with you in your heart." Aleena said softly. "And though your father and I might not be around, our love shall always be with you. And that love will evolve into new love." She looked to Amy's appearance. "She's beautiful."

"Yeah, she is."

"You have great strength, boy."

Sonic looked up scared for a moment and found four new figures surrounding them. The first was a toa wearing the mask of life, the second was a white qilin beast, the third was an Egyptian monster, and the last was a golden dragon.

"Who are you guys?" Sonic asked.

"We are the Higher Powers, boy." Exodia stated.

"We have been watching you for quite some time." Fanglongmon said. "We are sorry that we have pushed our responsibility onto you."

"What do you mean?" Sonic asked.

"It is our fault the Keyblade exists." Mata Nui said with remorse. "If we had not been blinded by our own pursuits, we would never have the need to create the Keyblade or the Master Emerald. We should have destroyed Kingdom Hearts when we had the chance.

"Now is not the time for regret." Arceus said seriously, looking to Sonic. "Chosen wielder of the Keyblade, only you have the power to end the reign of the Heartless forever."

"But how?" Sonic questioned.

"Using the power of the seven chaos, we will provide you with the golden radiance." Arceus explained.

"Will I ever see you again, mom?" Sonic asked sadly.

"I will always be with you, Sonic." Aleena smiled. She moved closer and wrapped the young hedgehog in a warm, loving hug. "I love you, my brave little boy."

"I love you too, mom." Sonic said; a tear rolled down his eye.

* * *

Back at the Endless Abyss, Mephiles roared with laughter over his victory against the Keyblade Master. But with the heroes, they hanged their heads over their friend's demise. Marine, who was the closest to Sonic, wept openly in Silver's arms.

"I can't believe he's gone." Marine sobbed.

"Don't worry, Marine." Silver whispered. "We'll make him pay for this."

"Such useless words!!" Mephiles shouted joyously. "The Keyblade Master is dead and the worlds are finally mine to conquer! With the power of the Master Emerald I'll – what's happening?"

For some unknown reason, the Master Emerald began to shine against the darkness. Mephiles cried out in agony as the light forced him away from the main body of Solaris. All of a sudden, a column of light appeared in the center of the Abyss. Sonic was found floating in the column with the seven Chaos Emeralds floating over his head.

"Sonic!!" The heroes shouted happily.

"No!" Mephiles screamed. "That's impossible! I killed you!!"

"I don't go down that easily." Sonic smirked. "Mephiles, by order of the higher powers, I will defeat you."

"You shall do no such thing!" Mephiles yelled frantically, summoning his twin Soul Eaters. "I will not let it end this way!!"

Sonic could easily see the fear in Mephiles' eyes and smirked. Sonic held out his arms and allowed the Chaos Emerald to become a part of him. In a blinding flash of light, Sonic's quills pointed upwards and his fur was turned a golden shade. With this new power, Sonic was able to wield the Oathkeeper and Oblivion at the same time. Mephiles feared the light above all and slowly tried to retreat, but that proved to be his downfall. Sonic vanished and suddenly appeared in front of Mephiles. Mephiles could only watch in horror as Sonic struck across his chest with both Keyblades. The attack not only cut across Mephiles, but also sliced the remains of Solaris to pieces. With no power able to sustain it, Solaris exploded with mighty force and took Mephiles with it. The heroes were worried for their friend, but found relief when Sonic appeared in front of them; he returned to his normal form.

"Sonic!" Surprisingly enough, it was Silver who hugged the hedgehog instead of Marine. "I can't believe you did that!"

"I can't believe it myself." Sonic chuckled, pushing away his friend.

"How were you able to transform like that?" Angel asked.

"It's a long and complicated story." Sonic lied; he promised the Higher Powers not to tell anyone about them.

"Too bad you won't live long enough to tell..." A familiar voice stated.

They would not have deemed it possible. Mephiles had somehow survived the blast from Solaris, but was left wounded gravely. His silver coat had been shredded and his left arm was bleeding endlessly. He was standing on top of the Master Emerald and stood between the heroes and the pathway to Kingdom Hearts.

"That's impossible." Storm muttered. "How could he have survived that?"

"My darkness is eternal." Mephiles sniggered. "As long as the darkness exists, I can never die."

"Ah, put a cork in it, mate!" Marine shouted. "We'll beat ya like we always do."

"You think so?" Mephiles laughed. "Your efforts are futile. The Keyblade alone does not have the power to seal the Door to Darkness." Mephiles waved his hand to the white. "Master Emerald! I command you to open the door and fill me the power of darkness!" The Master Emerald glowed in a stunning light and the Door to Darkness began to creak open. Waves of endless darkness began to leak its way through the crack. "That's it! The supreme darkness!"

"You're wrong, Mephiles." Sonic said sternly, attracting the demon's attention. "I've learned many things over my travels. But I know now...the true Kingdom Hearts...is Light!"

All of a sudden, the Master Emerald glew brighter than ever. The darkness vanished from the white door and was replaced by a deafening light. Mephiles, who was nothing but darkness, was engulfed into the light. The Seeker of Darkness could slowly feel his life slipping away and realized that his time was over.

"I...don't understand..." Mephiles said weakly. "All my research...was for nothing. Where...did I go...wrong?"

With his final words said, Mephiles allowed himself to be consumed by the light. When the light died down, only the Master Emerald remained. The Chaos Emerald began reacting and departed from Sonic's presence to surround the Master Emerald. The smaller emeralds circled the larger emerald before the all shot into the sky and vanished without a trace.

"What happened to them, mate?" Marine asked curiously.

"They were mostly likely scattered throughout the worlds." Silver theorized. "Now no one will be able to use their powers for evil again."

"We'll worry about that later." Sonic interrupted. "Right now, we need to close that door."

The heroes nodded in understanding and floated downwards towards the path to Kingdom Hearts. Once they arrive, the team of five began pushing against the door with all their might. But unfortunately, even with their combined strength, the team proved to be unable to even budge the massive door. As they pushed, Storm's curiosity got the better of him and looked through the crack between the doors. He gasped in horror.

"Guys, you've got to see this." Storm said.

"Stop staring and keep pushing." Angel growled.

"But you have to see this." Storm said shakily.

Finally, ever began to wonder what was behind the door. Against all of their better judgment, the team stared through the crack, but quickly regretted it. Inside, they could see colonies of Heartless marching towards the door to freedom.

"The Heartless!" The team screamed.

"Move it!" Silver shouted.

"We can't." Sonic stressed. "It's too..."

"Don't give up, Sonic!" Suddenly, another hand came to the rescue. Sonic stared through the crack and saw Espio pulling the door from the other side. "Together we can do it."

"But what about you?" Sonic asked.

"I can't cross through." Espio explained. "This is the only way to close the door."

Sonic wanted to prove him wrong, but somehow knew that Espio was right. Sonic nodded and pushed against the door with Espio pulling from the other side. Miraculously, the door was slowly starting to shut, but the Heartless weren't too happy about that. Three Darksides appeared and began marching towards Espio in an attempt to stop him.

"It's hopeless." Storm said sadly.

"Come on, Storm." A new voice entered. "You got to have more faith than that."

The new voice drew the attention off all the heroes and looked through the crack once more. All of a sudden, all three Darksides were defeated in a flash of light. The group stared in confusion at these strange events until a new figure appeared before them. He was an emerald hawk with five large feather, patch of white feathers on his chest and a darker emerald shade on his wrist that was shaped like a flame. He wore white gloves with red and black cuffs held by a metal loop, red, white and black boots and a pair of white goggles with yellow lenses.

"King Jet!" Silver and Storm cried.

The hawk know as Jet reached out and summoned his golden keyblade: The Darkside **(That's the official name)**

Come on, Sonic!" Jet called. "Time to close this door for good!"

"Close it quickly." Silver commanded.

"But what about..."

"Don't worry, Sonic." Jet said calmly. "There is always the Door to Light."

"Sonic, you can trust King Jet." Storm said.

"We don't have time for this!" Espio shouted. "The Heartless are coming."

"Silver, Storm, tanks for being good friends." Jet smiled. "Angel, Marine, this was never your fight to begin with. But you stood by us and help us through. I am eternally grateful to you."

With those final words, not one heroes had a trace of regret left in them. The team of five pushed with such power that they never thought possible. The door was finally able to come to a close. But before they could seal it, Espio said his final words to his best friend.

"Take care of her, Sonic."

Sonic hesitated for a moment, but knew what need to be done. Once the door was shut, Sonic and Jet raised their Keyblades to the sky and called forth the power that connected them. By the powers of the two hearts, the Door to Darkness was enveloped in a colossal wall of light. By the time the light faded, the door had disappeared, taking their friends along with it.

"_See ya soon, Espio._" Sonic thought.

Like everyone else, Sonic stared into the sky where their friends had left them. Suddenly, Sonic could feel a strong light coming from behind. Sonic turned and gasped in surprise. Amy somehow made it to the Endless Abyss, looking lost and confused at how she arrived there. Without hesitation, Sonic ran to her. Surprisingly enough, Silver wanted to stop him from leaving. He had become close to the hedgehog as the days went by. But Marine held him back.

"He has to go." Marine said sadly.

"He was the greatest guy I ever knew." Storm sniffed.

"He made life more interesting." Angel sighed.

"Sonic..." Silver muttered. "Thank you for opening my eyes."

With Amy, the pink hedgehog found herself standing on a piece of land that was slowly starting to break away from the rest. She was afraid that it was the end. But her fears were conquered when a familiar voice came to her aid.

"Amy!" Sonic cried as he ran over.

"Sonic!" Amy shouted happily. She wanted to go to him, but something was stopping her from leaving her piece. Amy reached out to Sonic, and the blue hero grabbed her by the hand. "Sonic, what's going on? Why can't I move?"

"Mephiles is gone, which means the walls are returning." Sonic panted. "But...I can't come with you."

"What?!" Amy exclaimed. "Why not?!"

"I'm still needed." Sonic said. "As long as I have the Keyblade, the worlds will always need me to protect them. I still have to find Espio and King Jet. Once I find them, I'll find my way back home."

"But what if you never find them." Amy said sadly; tears escaping her eyes. "What if you never come back?"

"Amy, remember what you said before?" Sonic Questioned. "Wherever you go, I'll always be with you." The piece of land began to pull away, separating the hero and princess. "I'll come back to you. I promise."

"I know you will!" Amy responded.

And with that, Sonic and Amy let go, losing the warmth of the others touch. Sonic wanted nothing more than to remain with Amy, but he had a duty given to him. It was his gift and curse. As the two floated farther apart, small particles of light began falling from the sky like snow. Amy stared in wonderment at the falling light, not knowing where they came from. All of a sudden, the landscape of Destiny Island appeared around her, shortly followed by the overlapping ocean.

"Amy..." Sonic called out from a distanced. "Amy, I...

The rest remained unheard as Sonic vanished into a cloud of light. Amy could only stand and watch as the cloud burst into hundreds of shooting stars, symbolizing the restoration to the worlds. Everything was as it should be. She was back home...without the two most important people in her life.

* * *

Morning came too early for Amy. She returned home the previous night and found that she was the only one on the whole island who knew about the Heartless incident. It was better this way. Amy returned to the play island not far from home and wanted nothing more than to visit the place where she, Espio and Sonic would always play: The Secret Place. Memories of previous times flowed back to Amy's mind when she admired the old draws she and her friends would always make.

"So much has happened..." Amy muttered. "I wish you were here."

"Amy..."

For a moment, Amy thought she had heard Sonic's voice. But she realized that she was all alone. She followed the path where the voice had originated and stopped in front of the old draw she and Sonic made. Only she realized that Sonic had made a new edition to the drawing. It showed Sonic give her the legendary paopu fruit. A tear trekked form her eyes and the pink hedgehog slowly reached for a sharp rock. She decided to make her own addition; this time of her giving him a paopu. It was at that moment she knew what Sonic wanted to say to her all along.

"I love you too, Sonic..." Amy whispered.

* * *

**The battle is finished and won. But is the Heartless truly defeated? What has become of Black Doom's mysterious allies? And what threat will the black-coated men bring to the worlds. Find out on the last chapter of Kingdom Hearts: Sonic Version!**

**Please, read and review.**


	45. Epilogue: Another Side, Another Story

**KINGDOM HEARTS: SONIC VERSION**

Epilogue: Another Side, Another Story

Thanks to the heroes' brave efforts against Mephiles, the worlds were able to return to their peaceful places. Balance was returned to the worlds and the walls that divided them were restored. But not everyone was happy after the events of the Heartless invasion. Very often, Rector, Howl, and Raine would ask what happened to Sonic and Espio, but Amy never answered. Everyday, Amy would return to the island and sit in the secret place, watching the door to that lead to the heart of the world. Her friends worried that she may be losing it, but they didn't understand how she felt.

"Amy, I think we should leave." Rector said.

"No." Amy answered.

"But sitting here alone is not healthy." Raine said worried.

"I don't care." Amy stated. "I won't stop waiting."

"Waiting for what?" Howl questioned.

"Sonic and Espio." Amy replied with a smile.

* * *

Babylon Garden had changed as well. Without Silver to keep the statues alive and Storm to direct them, Wave was forced to rely on normal troops to defend the world. Without Jet around to lead his people, Wave had to be a stronger leader to act in his place. After attending a meeting with the new guards, Wave wandered the halls of the castle, where she found Blaze leaning against the walls, staring out to the sky. Wave sighed and walked up to her long time friend.

"You're worried about Silver, aren't you?" Wave questioned.

"Not by much." Blaze replied. "But it would help to know that he was all right."

"I can understand." Wave said, leaning against the wall. "I loved Jet with all my heart and Storm has been my friend ever since we were little. But I know it'll take a lot more than some evil monsters to get rid of them." Wave smirked. "Trust me, Silver, Jet, and Storm will be back before you know it."

"Yeah, you're right." Blaze nodded, smiling to the Swallow. "Thanks, Wave."

"Anytime." Wave said.

The two females continued down the hall, talking happily with each other. But once they reached the end of the hall, the saw a new figure preparing to exit the castle. Her face was covered by her straw hat, but a lock of purple hair could be seen dangling from the sides. Wave noticed a small sack slung over the girls shoulders and stared at her with sad eyes.

"You're leaving?" Wave asked mournfully.

"I have to go, Wave." The girl stated in a serious manner. "King Jet is still out there somewhere and my brother is traveling along with him. It's been nearly ten years since I last saw him. I need to go out there and make sure he's ok."

"But how will you get past the walls between the worlds?" Blaze questioned.

"Before he left, Jet showed me how to bypass those walls." The girl said, staring into an object in her open palm. "I know I can do it if I try."

"If this is what you need to do, then I won't stop you." Wave said. "But please...come back safely."

"I will; your majesty." The girl said lowly. Hoisting her sack up, the girl pulled down her straw hat and exited the castle walls towards the boundary of this world. "I'll find you, King Jet. Just watch over my little brother: Keep Espio safe."

* * *

With the worlds restored to their natural world, the Princesses of Hearts were able to return to their home worlds. Keira returned to the precursor world, where she was welcomed greatly by her friends. She went on with her lover, Jak, and became a professional street racer while managing a part time job as a mechanic. Katara returned to the Avatar world and was reunited with her brother and friends, including the Avatar. Together, they defeated the Fie Nation and restored all destruction that was caused by the Heartless. Wes and Silva were seen working in their underground base, keeping an eye on all Cipher actions.

"See anything yet." Wes asked bored, watching Espeon and Umbreon play around on a large ball.

"Nothing yet." Silva replied, equally bored. "Man, Cipher's been really out of it recently."

"I wish something exciting would happen." Wes pleaded.

"How exciting."

Wes and Silva shot up at the sound of the familiar voice; even Espeon and Umbreon pulled away from their little game. Footsteps could be heard coming from the stair and revealed a smiling Rui. Wes, overcome with unexplainable emotion, jumped out of his chair and ran over to the princess.

"Rui!!" Wes cried, grabbing the girl by her shoulders. "I thought I lost you."

"Sonic saved the worlds and allowed me to come home." Rui said happily. "Now the worlds can go back to the way they were."

"Rui, I swear I won't let anything happen to you again." Wes said seriously.

"I believe you." Rui giggled.

To Wes' surprise, Rui wrapped her arms around his neck and proceeded to kiss him. Wes was caught off guard for a moment, but learned to just go with the flow. He returned the kiss with equal passion and Espeon and Umbreon danced around the happy couple in joy. Meanwhile, Silva was pounding his face into the computer.

"Why couldn't it have been me." Silva whined.

* * *

Zelda returned to the grassy plains of Hyrule, where she found Link washing his horse at a nearby creek. Deciding to have a little fun, Zelda snuck up behind the green clothed warrior and lightly tipped him in the back. This action caused the brave twilight hero to fall into the creek face-forward. Link sputtered and sat up to find his horse and Zelda both laughing at him. He felt it insulting that his horse was laughing at him, but forgot all about it when he spotted Zelda.

"Zelda." Link said softly. He realized his postiton and quickly stood up to make himself appropriate. "I-I'm glad your safe, your highness."

"Link, there's no need for titles." Zelda smiled. "From now on, I command you to treat me like a regular woman."

"As you wish, Zelda." Link grinned.

The twilight hero trudge out of the creek and walked closer towards the princess. Zelda, in return, moved closer to embrace her handsome knight in green armor. The two closed their eyes and moved their faces closer to one another. But before they could connect, their passionate moment was interrupted by a cranky shadow.

"How could he leave me?!" Midna screamed, drawing the attention of the lovers. The small Twili was floating around in the air, screaming her head to the sky. "I bust my butt for that hedgehog and he has the nerve to dump me! When I get my hands on him, he'll be wishing he never met me!"

Link and Zelda laughed at Midna, who proceeded to kick her feet into a nearby rock. Needless to say, that wasn't the smartest move of her career. Midna was bouncing around, holding her foot, which only made the couple laugh harder. But hidden in the trees, a single red eye glared at the happy group.

"You'll pay in the name of Master Ganondorf." Vaati growled.

* * *

With the worlds restored, Spyro's spirit was set free and returned to the Dragon World. Upon arriving back home, he was reunited with Ember. The two praised joyously at the return of their home and their saviors. A few short moments later, two red dragons crossed over the field to rejoin with them. One of the red dragons was fully grown and scarred across his body, but the other was the same size as Spyro and Ember with bright orange wings and a flame-shaped tail. Once close, the little dragon bounced on Spyro and proceeded to wrestle with him. Unfortunately, Spyro pinned him two minutes later.

"Still need to practice, Flame." Spyro chuckled.

"Ah, I'll get you one of these days." Flame said confidently.

"What happened to the shadows?" The older dragon asked.

"They're all taken care of, Ignitus." Ember said. "Spyro helped the hero who defeated them all."

"Then we can finally enter a time of peace." Ignitus said joyously. "Come, let us return to the temple and celebrate."

The children cheered and ran across the field, leaving the old dragon behind. Ignitus shook his head, wishing more than anything to be young again. But as the heroes departed, they were unaware of the watchful eyes of evil. Malefor watched the children leave with the elder from his high mountain top, joined by his faithful servant, Cynder.

"What do we do now, master?" Cynder asked.

"Now, we wait; my young apprentice." Malefor roared darkly. "The little one will learn that it is not so easy to complete the legacy of the purple dragon."

* * *

With the help of the Nine-Tailed Fox, Naruto and Sakura were able to return to their home world. They traveled across the country until the reached a village hidden deep inside a vast forest. The two had never felt so relieved, finally having a chance to rest after a long journey. As the duo ninjas came closer to the village's wooden gates, Naruto and Sakura were greeted by a boy their age with black hair wrapped in a ponytail and wearing a green flak jacket.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto yelled, earning a hit from Sakura. "Why do you always do that?"

"Naruto, Sakura, where have you been all day?" Shikamaru asked lazily.

"All day?!" Naruto exclaimed. "We've been..."

"It's not important." Sakura interrupted nervously.

"Whatever." Shikamaru sighed. "Anyway, the Hokage wants to see you two right away."

"Oh come on!" Naruto whined. "We just got back. Can you tell the old hag to wait?"

"Ok, but I'm not the one getting thrown out the window this time." Shikamaru shrugged.

Something in Shikamaru's words meant something to the two. The next moment Shikamaru looked; Naruto and Sakura were already halfway through the village. Shikamaru sighed and follow the two nervous ninjas into the village. Unknown to them, Pein was watching the young shinobi from a distance. His exterior seemed calm, but beyond his multi-ringed eyes was a soul brimming with hatred. A moment later, a portal of darkness appeared next to him and revealed another member of the secret group. Pein could tell it was Terro because he didn't wear any boots or gloves.

"What do you need Terro?" Pein questioned monotone.

"The Superior wanted me to gather all the Organization founders." Terro said playfully. "Since you are No. 3, I guess you should be going." Pein made no reaction to this news. Terro followed Pein's sight and watched a boy in orange clothing bouncing across the rooftops of the village. "Don't tell you you're still angry about that kid."

"That boy has defied the will of God." Pein said darkly. "He must be punished."

* * *

Dorumon broke free from his spirit stones and was sent back to the Digital World. The tiny fox-dinosaur was found standing in the middle of a long cybernetic corridor with Thirteen tall knights standing over him. He was retelling his version of the story with minimal mentioning of Sonic and his friends.

"And then I kicked those Heartless guys into next weeks." Dorumon boasted.

"And what about the Keyblade Master and his friends." The white knight asked.

"Eh, they helped out a little." Dorumon shrugged. "But it was all me in the end."

"That's quite an interesting tale." A golden knight said

"Now can I be a Royal Knight?" Dorumon asked hopefully.

"Of course you can." A crimson knight nodded. Dorumon cheered and jumped for joy, only to have it come crashing down. "You can start by washing and sweeping the corridors. Oh, and Dorumon, be sure to get all the cracks this time."

The knights laughed as a mop and broom appeared out of nowhere in Dorumon's hands. Dorumon grimaced and looked frustrated as the knights laughed at him before vanishing away. Having nothing better to do, the tiny monster started his chores down the corridor. And judging by the infinite size of the long hall, Dorumon had a long way to go.

"No respect, I tell you." Dorumon grumbled. "No respect at all."

* * *

After a few necessary repairs to the stadium, the World Martial Arts Tournament had begun again. Without the universal champion to compete, the event staff was forced to change it to a world tournament until Sonic could return. The finals had begun with Goku going up against Uub. The young warrior flipped into the air and slammed his heel down to his master, but Goku raised his forearm to block it. In an unexpected tactic, Uub flipped backwards in midair and slammed his foot into Goku's chest. Goku straggled backwards a few feet before he could find that his student had landed again.

"Hey, not bad." Goku complimented.

"Your style may be traditional," Uub smirked. "But mine is from this century. You don't stand a chance."

"Sounds like a challenge." Goku said excitedly. "All right, bring it on."

Master and apprentice faced each other in a final bout and the true test of strength began. The crowd roared in excitement over the superb match, but not everyone was a fan. Without anyone noticing, a small sphere of green light hovered over the stadium; it's aura producing a small trace of dark energy.

"..._Kakarot..._"

* * *

Wumpa Island had been free of any darkness that had preceded Sonic's arrival. With Uka-Uka's destruction at the hands of the Superior, there was no possible means of the Heartless ever tracing the Island again. Taking in this moment of peace, Crash and his family decided to take a vacation to the beach. Crash was sleeping in the sand with his tongue hanging out, Aku-Aku was sunbathing, and Coco was working on a new device.

"Hey, Crash, what do you think happened to Cortex?" Coco asked.

Crash pulled his tongue and snapped it back into his mouth. The older bandicoot shrugged and started scratching his head. Deep in the jungles of Crash's hair, Cortex and his accomplices somehow shrunk to the size of bugs and were being chased by a swarm of flees. To make matters worse, Crash's overly large fingers were charging directly at them.

"I hate that Bandicoot!!" Cortex squeaked.

* * *

Stitch and Jumba found their way back home to a place called 'Earth' after it was restored from Mephiles' defeat. The two aliens landed on a group of lands called 'Hawaii'; they weren't exactly discreet in the landing. After surviving the crash into the local volcano, Stitch and Jumba exited the ship to be greeted by a group of humans. The smallest of them, a little girl, ran up to the blue koala-like creature and embraced him happily.

"Stitch, you ok!" The girl cheered. "I thought you were gone forever."

"Meega Okeetaka." Stitch grumbled dizzily.

"Anything to report." An older, more serious man questioned.

"Eh...no." Jumba replied weakly. "But we did manage to fill up our required vacation time."

"Where's Angel?" The girl asked.

"Angel leave." Stitch said sadly before perking up. "She come back. Angel promised."

She did promise. And if there was anything the pink experiment had learned from her travels with Sonic, it's that she should always keep her promises. She return home; it will just take a little longer than expected.

* * *

Mahri Nui had long been destroyed in the restoration of the world. The Toa Mahri had gathered all the citizens that remained in the aquatic city and brought them to the surface where they would survive. With the power of the Mask of Life and the Staff of Artakha, the Bionicle world was restored to its natural balance. As of now, Matoro was standing on the beach of an island city called Metru Nui, speaking to a red elder called Vakama.

"The world has been restored, but Mata Nui is still asleep." Matoro reported.

"Yes, the Toa Nuva have informed me of this." Vakama nodded. "With fewer toa to protect us, the Makuta will have greater chances of attacking us." Vakama smiled sincerely. "It's a good thing we have new creatures to defend us now." At that moment, Zilla, who had been freed from his summoning gem, jumped out of the water and flipped back under. "He certainly seems to be enjoying himself."

"Yeah, he is." Matoro grinned. "By the way, have you seen Jaller or Hahli?"

Meanwhile, the two missing toa were sitting peacefully down the beach of the island. Zilla was swimming by, chasing a school of fish, and the toa were laughing at his playfulness. After a moment of hesitation, Jaller finally worked up his nerve and grasped Hahli's hand. Hahli flinched slightly in surprise, but came to accept the gesture. She rested her head on the toa's shoulder and they both watched the sunset together. But unknown to the toa, a shadowed figure stood near the shade of the trees, wearing the former mask of Makuta Teridax.

"Don't get too comfortable, Toa." The shadow sneered. "The battle has only just begun."

* * *

Halloween in Hogwarts turned out to be much better than expected. Despite Harry's failure with the Heartless, Dumbledore managed to save the day by hiring a troupe of dancing skeletons and a band of mummies. Unfortunately, Snape was not too happy about letting Harry and his friends off the hook for their failure. He tried to convince Dumbledore to expel them, but instead, they were rewarded with over fifty house point each.

"Can you believe Snape tried to get us expelled for something he did?!" Ron said exasperatedly.

"Technically, it was our fault to begin with." Hermione said logically. "If we hadn't brought the Heartless..."

"Figures that you would defend a teacher." Ron said grumpily.

"Let's hope we don't see Snape for a while." Harry said hopefully. "Because I swear, if he tries to dock us again..."

"You'll what, Potter." A cold voice questioned.

The trio stiffened on the spot and slowly craned their necks backwards. They instantly regretted it once they caught a full glimpse of Snape's familiar scowl. Before the professor could tell them off, the trio of wizards scattered and ran to the nearest safe spot. Snape grunted, knowing he would catch them eventually. As Snape wandered into the dungeon, a venomous green snake scurried across the castle floors and disappear into the depth of the maze.

* * *

Chao Garden remained the same after Sonic left his little friends. Sonic Chao continued to be the hero of the world and defeated Dark Chao at every possible turn. Tails Chao began working on mechanics and started inventing new solutions to stop Dark Chao and make Sonic Chao faster. Knuckles Chao tended to his home and garden, occasionally having visits from a white chao named Rouge Chao; he kept a bowl of fruit ready in case Sonic ever returned. Shadow Chao spent most of his time fishing, but often fought against Sonic Chao or saved Chao Garden from Dark Chao. Amy Chao continued to chase after Sonic Chao with a little assistance from Cream Chao. As all this went on, Shahra sat in her study, reading the book.

"Wondering what happens next?" Shahra grinned, closing the book. "Well, you'll just have to wait."

* * *

As for the Traverse Town Gang, the group stood in the central library, waiting for the oncoming news. Omega had reported earlier today that he had found something that would interest them and had them report to the library. It's been several minutes and the gang was starting to become restless.

"Man, what's taking him so long?" Emerl complained.

"Keep your calm, son." Metal instructed. "Whatever Omega has for us must be important."

"But where is he?" Cream asked.

"Just got here." Omega stated, entering through the library doors. "I think there is something that might interest you."

The gang stood curious as Omega stepped aside to allow another figure to enter the room. Of everyone there, Tikal was the most happy to see Chaos' return. Chaos had not been back to Hollow Bastion since the Heartless attacked Nine years ago. Needless to say, he was grateful it still remained. Without warning, Tikal ran up to the ancient Guardian and embraced his tightly, not wanting to let him go.

"I was worried about you." Tikal muttered, slowly pulling away. "I almost thought Violet had defeated you."

"I didn't lose, but I didn't win either." Chaos informed. "Violet is still out there and I'll have to fight her eventually. But until then, I will remain close to the ones I care for."

"What about the Master Emerald?" Tikal asked.

"It's buried deep underground near Aleena's grave." Chaos stated. "Tikal, I will always be the guardian of the Master Emerald, but my heart won't always find someone to feel close to. I need to act on this feeling now before it leaves forever."

"What are you saying?" Tikal asked curiously.

"I love you, Tikal." Chaos said. "I want my heart to always remain with you...if you'll allow it."

"I wouldn't trust my heart with anyone else except you." Tikal smiled, embracing her lover once again. "I love you, Chaos."

The aquatic guardian felt the strongest emtion he ever felt: love. Chaos wrapped his arms protectively around the young echidna's body and held her close to his heart. Chaos sighed in happiness as Tikal's warmth began to melt away his cold heart. The rest of the gang remained silent, allowing the two to have their moment.

"Hey, he's not the only surprise I brought." Omega said.

Leaving Tikal and Chaos alone, the rest of the group turned to the door near Omega. The large robot opened the doors wide to reveal two new figures. One was a mature rabbit that looked similar to cream, only with a small tuff of red hair on her head. She wore a formal dress that complimented her figure. The second was a pink mech with three curved spikes on its forehead, five tendrils hanging from its head, a pair of metal claws, wore a metal dress, and red feet shaped like boots. These two were very familiar to the gang, judging by their reaction.

"Mom!!" Cream and Emerl exclaimed.

"Vanilla, Rose, welcome back." Metal greeted calmly.

"It's good to be back, Metal...my love." Rose nodded.

"Thank you so much for watching over our children." Vanilla smiled. "We are forever grateful."

Unable to keep their emotions in check, Emerl and Cream ran to their mothers are jumped into their arms. The children cried their hearts out and the mothers began to sooth their aches. Metal walked over to his wife and son and embraced them warmly, happy to be a family once again. As the families and friends shared their love, they remained unaware of an ever present watcher. It was a Heartless, but one that was different than any other; its skin was red instead of black. The red Heartless clutched its chest and allowed a tear to roll from its bright yellow eyes.

"I hope that will be you and I one day, Amy." The Heartless whispered.

* * *

Deep in the world of darkness, Espio and Jet were making there way down a white path that led deeper into the depths of the realm. The shadows attacked numerous times, but Jet's Darkside Keyblade and Espio's strong heart kept them at bay.

"Does this ever end?" Espio complained. "It feels like were getting nowhere fast."

"Hey, cheer up, buddy." Jet grinned. "It's better to think about what's at the end of the road. Sonic and the others are looking for us on the other side. We don't want to keep them waiting, do we?"

"No, we don't." Espio chuckled.

And so, the two warriors traveled further into the paths of darkness.

* * *

In a world far from the distance of ever present eyes, we find a secret room hidden deep within the floating white castle of the Dark City. The room had a circular appearance and held thirteen tall white thrones, each a different size. In the room, six of the black coated figures sat at their assigned seats; Pein was one of them. As expected, the Superior held the highest seat and commanded over the lower figures.

"Gah, that Keyblade brat is becoming annoying." No. 5 grunted. "Why must we put up with this much longer? Can't we just turn him into a Heartless and be done with it?"

"He is still needed." No. 6 stated calmly. "Or have you forgotten our plans."

"Speaking of which, have the plans gone forward at the castle?" The superior questioned.

"Just as you instructed, Superior." No. 4 said exuberantly. "By the command of your brilliance, I have assigned Duskmon as head of the castle along with his accomplice. I also sent Terro as you instructed, you Excellency."

"You're the biggest suck up I've ever seen!" No. 2 roared crazily. "Hey, Superior, bend over so he can kiss your butt!"

"I think that will be enough." Pein said calmly. His voice might not have been loud, but it was enough to quite the arguing members. Pein turned to the Superior. "Superior, what shall we do with our newest member?"

"Send the Heartless after him." The Superior commanded. "He will live his part until he is no longer required."

* * *

As for Sonic and his friends, the group of five traveled down a long winding road that led to the middle of an everlasting field. They wondered why they hadn't returned to their homes where they belong, but somehow knew deep down that they were still needed. As long as the Keyblade remained with its master, the journey would never end. They traveled on for miles in silence, trying to plan what would happen next.

"Anyone care to tell me how we got here in the first place?" Angel asked.

"I don't really know, nor do I care." Silver said grudgedly, turning to Sonic. "So now what, O' brilliant one."

"I thought that was obviously." Sonic grinned. "We got to find Espio and King Jet."

"That's right." Marine nodded. "We got to find that light door thingy."

"But where are we supposed to find the Door to the Light?" Storm asked. "It's not like it's gonna walk in front of us."

The questioned stunned the group for a moment before they realized something: they had no lead. King Jet had not provided any clues to the location of Kingdom Heart before they closed the door. Realizing their mistake, the group dropped head in depression. But the depression was short ended where the grass began to rustle to the side. The heroes perked their heads and watched as Cheese the Chao, Jet's missing pet, walked out into the open.

"Is that a chao?" Sonic asked.

"That's not just any chao." Silver said. "That's the king's chao, Cheese."

"Hey, Cheese, where have you been all this time?" Angel said kindly.

The tiny chao turned towards the group and wave merrily at them. It was at that moment the group realized the chao was carrying something: a letter. At the opening of letter was a green seal of a genies lamp surrounded by three commas.

"Hey, look at that!" Storm yelled, pointing to the seal. "That's the king's seal!"

"Hey, do you know where King Jet is?" Sonic asked.

The small chaos giggled and floated away from the group down the long road.

"After him, mates!" Marine screamed.

They didn't need to be told twice. The heroes charged at full speed down the winding road after the wild creature. They ran with joyful spirits, knowing that they were one step closer to saving their friends. The road ahead would be tough, but as long as you have your friends by your side, that journey becomes easier. All his old friends would always be with Sonic and even more would come as he ran ahead. And whenever there was darkness to be defeat, the Keyblade Master would always answer the call.

"_Remember, Sonic...you are the one who will open the Door to Light._"

* * *

As the night drew by, Sonic found himself standing in the middle of a crossroad with an impossible choice to make. Would he follow his heart to Amy? Would he follow his heart to Espio? Would he follow the path to finding his father? Or would he abandon all paths in search of his own meaning? But as he stared into the night sky, Duskmon began his approuch.

_Utter silence..._

The wave lapped across the dark beach as a bottle washed ashore to the black sands. A letter rustled inside, wanting to escape and reach its receiver.

_...A fragmented tale...A world without you...the eyes will close..._

The superior sat on the surface of one of the dark rocks under the light of the eternal moon. He appeared to be waiting for something, but the wait was over. A portal of darkness appeared near a rock surface and another black coat figure appeared. His red eyes stared at the Superior for a moment before he stepped forward.

_...Something so natural..._

The young figure was wander through the empty city that lay below the white castle. He left his hood up, keeping the heavy rain from reaching him. As he wandered the lonely streets, he was not surprise that no life was sustained in the city. No living creature could survive in a place like this. His feet treaded across the ground, barely even touching the surface. The young stranger wandered into the center of the city and stopped in the shadow of a large skyscraper with multiple television screen stationed at the top. As he stared into the blank surfaces of the televisions, one face always arrived in his mind: the blue hedgehog.

He could hear movement coming from all around him and turned to see his attackers. An army of Neo Shadows emerged from the ground, surrounding the mysterious warrior with no way of escaping. But the boy did not seem troubled. Against all logic and possibility, the figure reached into his coat and pulled out two familiar weapons: Oblivion and Oathkeeper Keyblades. How could this man obtain these weapons? Were they stolen from Sonic? And how could this man wield them both? With everything going on, the man could only ask one thing.

"Where's Sonic?"

The Neo Shadows showed no concern for this mans question and pounced. One Heartless jumped from behind, but the hooded man rushed backwards and cleaved the shadow in two. Another came from the side, but the man turned and sliced it head off without looking. Two more Neo Shadow struck from behind, but the hooded figure back flipped over their heads and cut them clean down the middle. But his work was far from finished.

_...The memory beyond..._

More heartless jumped at him from every direction and the man did his best to avoid them. After sidestepping a few of the Neo Shadows, the man spun around and cut away the dark beasts. The Heartless became restless and started circling around his form while attacking at the same time. The hooded stranger used the keyblade to block them off and would often kick them to the side to keep them back. A few of the Heartless jumped into the air and the hooded stranger saw them coming.

The man back flipped away to avoid them and took the skies himself. The Heartless followed his lead, which is what he was hoping for. Having advantage in the air, the man cut across several heartless and even tossed one of his Keyblades to spin around the air to cut across the rest of the flying shadows. The man caught the Keyblade and bounded towards the steps of the skyscraper as hundreds of Heartless began to swarm. Suddenly, the man felt a presence from the top of the skyscraper and looked up.

..._Something so simple..._

A purple chameleon wearing a black coat stood at the top of the tower. He vaguely resembled Espio, but wore a black blindfold over his eyes. Despite his lack of sight, the chameleon could see everything that was going on. Realizing who he was, the hooded figure rebounded off the stone statues near the steps and defied the laws of gravity by running along the side of the skyscraper. The Heartless, not wanting to let their prey escape, perused the hooded man and his Keyblades.

More Heartless began forming at the higher levels of the skyscraper, but the man had no time to waste on them. He cleared them out of his path by crossing his Keyblades multiple times and continued his way towards the chameleon. But the Heartless were not ones to easily surrender. More formed in his path and tried everything to stop him from reaching to the top. The chameleon stepped towards the edge and awaited the hooded man's arrival.

_XIII..."Why, Mephiles?"_

The hooded man tossed the Oblivion towards the top of the skyscraper, clearing the path of the Heartless in his way. The Chameleon jumped at the closing presence of the Keyblade.

_XII...(Zoan's Journal)..."A creation born of ignorance"..._

The Heartless began to form behind the chameleon and chased after him over the edge. Without the use of his eyes, the chameleon caught the Oblivion and began to fall.

_11...Behind the door...Door to Light..._

The hooded figure and the chameleon soon crossed paths with one another as he met across the largest of the television screens.

_X...The Secret Place..."His voice...It's left me"..."This time...I'll fight"_

The two Keyblade wielders stared at one other as the passed by one another. After a parting moment, the chameleon picked up speed as he dropped and the hooded figure continued up the skyscraper.

_9...A world between - A forgotten world...The Gathering_

The hooded figure spoke to the Superior.

_VIII...The third enemy - Nobody..."Who is Nobody, you ask? They are nonexistent"..._

A blue hedgehog gracefully fell through the bottomless waters.

_VII...ENDLESS..."What took you so long, Amy?"..."Can we do it? Against that?"..._

Suddenly, the hedgehog fell back and passed through the water and everything vanished... The chameleon looked back to the blue hedgehog and held out his hand him...The pink hedgehog gazed into the sky...The hooded figure stood to the Superior.

_6...(The Thirteenth Order)..._

_V..."Sonic...why?"..."Your Majesty? But, why?"_

The chameleon parted through the blockade of Heartless towards the ground below.

_4...The End of the World..."What is this place?"..."Is this the answer you're looking for?"..._

_3...Paradise..._

The pathways of light and darkness are coming together.

_II..."We shall go together"..._

King Jet and a new ally joined the battle wearing black coats and both wielding Keyblades.

**KINGDOM HEARTS**

The hooded figure stopped his approach and stood near the Superior. The two remain in silence for a moment before the Superior turned to take notice of his newest arrival. He broke the silence and spoke cleary.

_..."He looks a lot like you"..._

* * *

Sonic awoke in a start and panted heavily with sweat dripping from his brow. It was nighttime at the crossroads and the gang was tired from chasing after Cheese. The tiny chao was faster than any of them had expected and successfully got away. He looked to the rest of his team, hoping his nightmare didn't wake any of them. Unfortunately, Marine stirred and stared at Sonic.

"What's going on, mate?" Marine asked sleepily.

"It's nothing, Marine." Sonic replied calmly. "Just go back to sleep."

Being as tired as she was, it wasn't that hard. The little raccoon yawn and curled up next to Sonic. But the Keyblade Master couldn't sleep. Who was that man? How could he have the Keyblades? If Jet could wield one, does that mean there are more of them out there? And was that blinded warrior really Espio? All these questions and no answer to calm his restless soul. Sonic stared into the starry sky, trying to clear his thoughts for the future. After an hour of lying awake, Sonic slowly began to drift back into sleep. But before he wandered into the depths of his dreams, a voice called out from the farthest reaches of his mind.

"_Everything is coming back to me, the true..._"

**THE END!**

* * *

**That's the end of this story. Stay tuned for Chain of Memories: Sonic's Tale and Reverse/Rebirth: Espio's Tale. Farewll for now and never lose sight of the light.**

**Please, read and review.**


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